Memoria
by whitedove135
Summary: Second generation of Gakuen Alice! Natsume and Mikan have a female child named Anzu. Suddenly the little girl will be whisked away into the Academy and meet a cold hearted boy. With her friends, she'll ride the most shocking, epic adventure of a lifetime.
1. Snowy Birthday

****

Memoria— Snowy Birthday

**Note: **I do not own Gakuen Alice or any of the music produced by Hisaishi Joe. Yes, there is some music involved in here... and there will continue to be music in later chapters. I do not own The Merry-Go-Round of Life (the song). Now, enjoy!

* * *

Her head still against the pillow of her bed, she opened her eyes and squinted at the white light coming from behind the blue checker curtains of her bedroom. Suddenly, she was awake, and rolled off the cotton sheets of her bed in one fluid motion. Her hand shaking with contained excitement, she threw the curtains to the side and tugged the blinds open.

White, sparkling snow had been dolloped on the roof, and the pine trees that circled the small house wore full suits of heavy snow and glistening icicles. The young girl squealed in delight, and then hurried out of her room, still in her night clothes.

She ran down a short, wooden floor hall, then came to a stumbling halt before a white door. As promised the night before, it had been left ajar, and she made no noise as she pushed it gently open.

In the dim bluish light, she could make out the outline of a sleeping person. His jet black hair contrasted nicely against the white pillow that rested under his head. A thin fringe of black hair lay on his forehead, and his cat-like eyes were closed.

The girl kneeled next to the bed for a moment, and she watched in fascination as his chest rose inward, then out as he breathed slowly. Then, a thought occurred to her, and a grin spread on her face as she stretched out a hand.

She prodded his shoulder softly with one finger, and giggled quietly as his eyes popped open. Dark, crimson eyes stared back at her groggily, then they blinked and opened up wide.

"You can't fool me!" the girl whispered with a mischievous gleam in her eye. "You were faking, weren't you?" Then she squeaked as the man rolled off his bed and scooped the little one from the floor.

"Hm," he said in his alluring, low voice. "Not even a 'good morning'?" He slung her onto his back, where she giggled silently into his neck. He glanced at the open door and the golden light that poured in from a light in the hall way. "Okay, let's get out before your mom—"

_Too late. _A pale, almost ghostly hand in the bluish light, shot out from under the white sheets and grabbed the man's hand. The girl clomped a hand over her mouth to muffle her surprised squeal.

A woman's head emerged from under the covers, and her long, auburn hair was very untidy. "Where are you going, Natsume…?" she mumbled. Her grip on his hand tightened.

Natsume laughed gently, and kissed the soft skin of her wrist. "Nowhere," he said in an assuring voice. "Go back to sleep, Mikan."

She nodded groggily, and the little girl on Natsume's shoulders giggled again. Mikan pulled the sheet completely over her head, and the two of them snuck out of the bedroom.

He closed the white door slowly, and as silently as possible. Then, he set down the girl onto her feet and surveyed her with narrow eyes.

"Have you brushed your teeth yet?" he asked suspiciously. He made a little "aha" noise when the girl hesitated, then shook her head furiously. Natsume moved her spiky inky black hair to the side, and then tweaked her ear.

"Ow," she said with a laugh. "But, but today's Okaa-san's birthday, so I hurried down as soon as I could…"

A devilish grin spread on his handsome, young face. "No excuses!" He grabbed a nearby ladle from the kitchen counter and waved it threateningly around. "Want me to whupp your butt?"

Her hands flew to her bottom and she looked aghast. "Okay, I'm going!" she whispered hurriedly, then danced up the stairs to avoid the swing. She stopped at the top of the cream carpet stairs and stuck out her tongue impudently. "Otou-san is a meanie!" she sang. Then she turned and dove into the bathroom with a whimper when Natsume's eyes gleamed red in the dark.

After she brushed her teeth and wiped the water from her face, she cleared the stairs with a few jumps and hurried into the kitchen. The sugary smell of waffles and cream wafted in the air, and the girl drooled as she peeked around her dad's side.

She watched as he ladled some batter into the square black inside of the waffle maker, and a smile lit up her face as she heard a sizzle.

"Anzu," he said suddenly, and she jumped in surprise. "You cleaned yourself up?"

She stood ruler straight and made a clumsy salute. "Yes," she said, trying to summon up her best serious face.

Natsume smiled, and glanced down at her. "I see that you haven't combed your hair."

"Ooh, really?" Anzu twisted a dark lock around her index finger. "Ahaha, oopsie."

He looked amused, and then pointed at the fridge. "Have you decided your toppings yet?" he asked as he moved over to the stove. A few browned sausages bubbled in a frying pan, and he shifted them around with a black spatula.

"Mm…" she said mindlessly as she tugged on the black handle of the fridge. Her eyes scanned the hodgepodge contents of the inside, and she pulled out several cartons of small fruits and a half-full bag of hardened semi-sweet chocolate chips. "How about these?" Anzu said as she set them down on the counter and waited for approval.

Natsume twisted around and his dark eyes lit up. "Haha, clementines? All those berries too? And the chocolate.." he said with amusement. "Go ahead, do whatever you please."

She made a quiet cheer and took a handful from each berry container, then dashed them in a strainer. Cold tap water from the chrome sink spout washed over the fruit, and she shook the extra drops out. Anzu set the strainer on the spotless counter, then got to the process of peeling the skins off the clementines.

After that, she dashed over to one of the wooden cabinets and stuck a hand in. She pulled out a small plastic cutting board and a small knife that fit her hand perfectly. Carefully, the little girl slid them onto the counter, and she seated herself and cut up the fruit into tiny pieces.

The door to the downstairs bedroom opened slowly, and Mikan squinted at the busy kitchen. "Mm, smells good," she commented with a laugh. Anzu spun around in surprise. "Oh, sorry, I couldn't sleep with all this racket."

Natsume smiled as he retrieved a few golden brown waffles from the waffle maker. "You have something to tell your mom?" he prompted the little girl.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, and a juice stained hand flew to her mouth in horror. "Um, um.. Happy birthday, Okaa-san!" She then wiped her hands on a clean paper towel and gave a running hug to Mikan. "And Happy New Year's too!"

The young woman laughed. "Oh, don't remind me. Birthdays are just when you get older. Plus, I still have a headache from last night…"

Anzu looked strangely at her from the skirt of her mom's night gown. "But you only had a sip of sake last night.." she said dubiously.

Natsume chuckled. "Your mom's really bad with alcohol," he snickered as he turned off the flame under the frying pan.

Mikan busied herself as she helped Anzu with the fruit. "Hey, hey, no need to inform the minors that," she chided him. The little girl beside her giggled.

* * *

"Very good!"

"Mm-hm! Otou-san is the best~!"

"Well. Thanks."

Anzu finished the rest of her blackberry-topped waffle and chugged down the contents of the glass set down in front of her. She hopped off the stool and waved her arms excitedly.

"Um, Okaa-san!" she burst. Mikan and Natsume looked on in amusement from their plates. "For your birthday, I—"

The young woman laughed. "A piano piece, right?" She smiled when the little girl bobbed her head up and down enthusiastically. "Will you play it for me?"

Anzu grinned. "Of course," she said, and then hurried over to the grand piano that was by the front door entrance. She put her fingers carefully under the black polished lid and lifted it slowly to reveal a long board of ivory keys, then delicately rested her fingers on them. Anzu turned to her parents with a beam on her face. "I've named it 'The Merry-go-round of Life,'" she laughed. Then she turned and her fingers moved slowly in side to side motions. The piece started with a repetitive series of notes, cascading downward.

Suddenly, her hands glided over to the left, and her hands produced a string of low notes with one rolling motion. Then her hands came back to the middle C and a C two octaves lower than the latter hand.

Her right hand slowly worked in a few notes, then her left hand immediately followed up with a single low note. Then her hands began to dance rhythmically and slowly on the board, and the room was flowing with an enchanting melody.

A smile spread on Anzu's face, and she spoke, breaking Natsume and Mikan out of their reverie. "You know," she said with a laugh as her hands did the work, "I really liked the story you told me about the Christmas dance at Alice Gakuen." She grinned at their surprised faces. "So I imagined you two were waltzing and I thought about what kind of music was in the background…"

Mikan waved a hand and laughed brightly. "I don't even remember the music from that time. And it certainly wasn't as beautiful as this," she said with a smile. Then she looked amused. "I do remember that I stepped on your dad's feet and we fell over…"

"You kissed me with your teeth," Natsume added, then ducked as the woman threw a punch in his direction.

Anzu sweatdropped, and turned to the piano with a giggle. "Why don't you dance now then?" she suggested, watching her hands move up and down the scale. "Hold on, there's a bridge here…"

A string of melancholy notes that almost seemed eerie passed, then she motioned at her standing parents. "Okay…" she said as her fingers rested on the board. "Now!"

Anzu tapped on the keys in staccato style and produced a drum-like rhythm. A second later, her hands took up the same melody from before, but with many more chords and dynamic enthusiasm. Mikan made a surprised noise as Natsume swept her gracefully off her feet, and the little girl watched with a beaming smile on her face.

The music seemed to echo within the room, and notes weaved in and out in the air, with the complexity of a full orchestra. Natsume and Mikan were both laughing and smiling as they twirled around the spacious family room that seemed vibrant and alive with music. Outside, the sun cast a warm glow in the frigid, cold sky, and the snow that littered the road and tree tops sparkled liked thousands of diamonds. It most certainly was a beautiful, snowy birthday.

* * *

Red-faced and breathless from laughing, Mikan insisted on a few more songs, which Anzu obliged to play happily. Her parents waltzed around the room the whole morning, and then flopped onto one of the black leather couches in the early afternoon.

The young woman clapped her hands together in delight. "You have a wonderful Alice," she said proudly to her daughter. Anzu fled from the cushioned piano bench, and sat on her mom's lap happily.

Natsume sighed in relief as he sunk deeper into the couch. "That was interesting," he said with a smile. He ruffled the little girl's inky black hair, much to her indignation. "You've probably surpassed Beethoven by now."

Anzu shook her head furiously. "But he wrote hundreds of pieces!" she argued. "I'm only eight!"

The auburn-haired woman smiled and stroked her daughter's hair. "You still have a lot ahead of you," she said softly. "You'll write thousands of pieces for sure!"

The little girl looked up at the ceiling wonderingly. "Thousands," she echoed, then giggled in delight. "That sounds fun! I'll do it!"

While they laughed together on the couch, the white cordless phone on the kitchen counter started to ring.

_Incoming call, _it parroted in a calm, female computer voice. Natsume received stares from Mikan and Anzu, and sighed as he rose from the couch and strode over to the counter.

_Incoming c—beep. _The young man frowned and pressed the talk button.

"Hello?" he said into the small speaker.

There was silence in the room as Natsume leaned on the counter. The two on the couch watched as he froze on the spot.

"How did you get this number?" he hissed, and turned so that the other two could only see his back. There was more silence, then he glanced around hurriedly and grabbed a nearby wooden bar stool.

Perching on it with his back still to them, he said quietly, "Sorry, I don't understand." His tone sounded angry and gruff. And his sentence probably went along the lines of, _I don't want to understand. _"Could you repeat that?"

Mikan noticed something was amiss, and smiled a small smile as she gently nudged Anzu. The little girl slid off of her lap and watched as her mom glided over to the hushed Natsume with saddened, hazel eyes.

_Okaa-san? _she wanted to ask. _Otou-san, what's wrong?_

The woman gently took the phone from her stiff husband and put it to her ear. "Hello," she said quietly. "May I ask who this is?"

Natsume slid off the stool and walked back to where Anzu was. She was frightened by the strangeness in his walk, and the way he kept his face down so that she couldn't see his expression.

He scooped her up in his arms, almost crushing her with his strength. "I'm sorry," he said, and his voice was strained.

"Oh!" exclaimed Mikan as she paced in the kitchen. "Narumi-sensei, is that you?" She seemed to have forgotten about the conversation he had had with Natsume. "How are you? How is the Academy?"

Anzu felt a burning sensation through her night clothes. She coughed dryly and placed a small hand on her dad's arm that held her to his shoulder. _Hot! _she realized with a jolt, and she cradled her stinging hand to her chest.

"Otou-san, are you angry?" she whispered as she scrunched up both of her arms to her chest now. "You're hurting me…"

Natsume gasped and swiftly set her back on the couch. Her feet touched the cool leather seat, and she stared wide-eyed into the bright crimson eyes of her dad. His face was pale with either fear or anger. Or maybe a dangerous mixture of both.

"Sorry, Anzu," he said in a hushed voice as he sighed outwardly. He sank into the couch tiredly, and the little girl flopped next to him worriedly.

They both watched as Mikan paced in the kitchen, sharing words with a man named Narumi. Anzu was familiar with the exuberant language teacher of the Elementary Branch at Alice Gakuen, as her parents had whispered stories of their past when Anzu crept into their room and said that she couldn't sleep.

"Wow, sounds like you have a bunch of rowdy students!" she laughed. "But they'll turn brilliant as they grow up and experience more of the school life." Mikan smiled and lingered by a small window in the side door to their small back yard. Her eyes grazed over the sparkling snow on the ground. "So," she said, her tone turning strange, "what news did you tell Natsume?"

There was a brief silence as she listened to Narumi speak. "Wh-" she said, alarmed. "Two days from now? That's a little…" Mikan's mood seemed to dampen. "But, Narumi-sensei… it's already that time?"

She listened some more, and Anzu rested her head on her dad's arm. To her relief, it was a bit cooler, but still warm.

"Okay," Mikan choked. She paused again, then nodded slowly. "I'll tell her."

Natsume stiffened, and his eyes swerved to Anzu. Confusion swept over her as she watched her father grimace, and her mother spoke into the phone once more.

"Yes, I understand," she said. Her eyes looked a bit teary. "Yes. Two days from now. Goodbye, Narumi-sensei." She pulled the phone from her ear, then pressed the END button.

The little girl jumped from the couch and ran up to her. "Okaa-san," she said worriedly, gazing up at her. "What's wrong?"

"Um," Mikan said as she wiped the tears from her eyes. She smiled a shaky smile. "Apparently they've found us."

Anzu looked bewildered. "Alice Gakuen?" she asked softly. "But, Okaa-san," she said as she took her mom's hand in hers, "Aren't you happy? This way, I can make music for everyone…"

Natsume shook his head furiously, and he stood with them. "That may be true," he said, his eyes downcast, "but you won't see us for a while. And security has been tightened severely since that incident…"

_That incident. _The hairs on the back of her neck prickled. The image of injured and fighting students was conjured in Anzu's mind. "The one that forced Okaa-san and Otou-san to run away from the school?"

Mikan nodded, and lifted her up to their level. "Yes, that one. We told you that they forgave us after a while, right?" she said to the little girl.

Anzu nodded, and Mikan continued in a somber voice. "They've been keeping their eyes on students who participated majorly in the rebel. Even though it was completely due to the corruption of the school, they tightened security." Mikan's eyes narrowed. "They're quickly trying to snatch up children with Alices when they're young, so that they don't question their ways as they get older. Their rules will be hammered into them."

"Wait," Anzu said, putting one of her small hands on Mikan's cheek. "Um, sorry for the change in subject, but did they drop the Dangerous Class? Or at least stop them from doing missions?"

Natsume tensed, his eyes full of past pain. "Narumi didn't mention that to me," he said. "What about you, Mikan?"

She shook her head sadly. "No… he didn't say anything about the Dangerous Class." She touched the hand that rested on her cheek with one index finger. "He talked about the security issues and of Anzu's departure."

The raven-haired girl felt mixed emotions swirling inside her. "They're coming here to take me then?" she asked, a bit frightened now.

Natsume kissed the top of her head. "Yes, in two days," he said. "Narumi also said something about Ruka and Imai's—no, Ruka and Hotaru's kids."

Anzu's eyes flickered. "They're going too?"

"Same day as you."

She bit her lip, and wriggled out of Mikan's arms. She stood on the wooden floor with her shoulders slumped and her head bowed.

"I think I'll go pack," she said quietly as she headed up the stairs.

* * *

**Comment: **Hello, readers! (laughs) That concludes the first chapter to this going-to-be epic. ^-^ I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I typed it.

There will be a lot of children of the other characters in Gakuen Alice. Just like from the one couple mentioned above…

By the way, as I mentioned before, I do not own The Merry-go-round of Life by Hisaishi Joe. He is an actual composer and he has made pieces for animated movies like Howl's Moving Castle (where Merry-go-round was the theme song), Princess Mononoke, and more. The Merry-go-round of Life is also translated as Jinsei-no-Merry-go-round.

Please review the story! :D And now, onward to Chapter Two (when I gather more ideas).


	2. Ice

**Ice**

A sleek black car hummed on their snow-cleared driveway, and Natsume constantly paced in front of the front door and peeked out of the curtained windows anxiously.

A tall, slender man with pale skin and beautiful blonde hair stepped out from the car, with a black suit jacket draped over his shoulders. Anzu kneeled on the couch in front of the window and pointed at his moving figure.

"That's Narumi-sensei?" she whispered to her dad, who also stared.

The young man nodded, and a look of disgust crossed his face. "Yes, that's him. He's a good person, but…" He flinched when a long chime sounded throughout the whole house.

Mikan tumbled down the stairs hurriedly with a small suitcase in her arms. She set it at the side of the couch and breathlessly tore the door open.

"Narumi-sensei," she panted, a smile lighting up her face. "Good morning."

Narumi was a vibrant man who hadn't looked like he aged. In fact, to Anzu, he appeared the same age as her parents. His wavy blonde hair and caring, lavender eyes looked exactly as they had in her parents' old photos.

He smiled and laughed. "Well, well," he said, scanning Mikan and Natsume, and their house. "It's been such a long time! How are you two?"

Mikan tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "Fine," she said, then looked surprised as she realized Narumi was standing in a frigid wind, and snowflakes whirled into the house and melted on the wooden floor. "Would you like to have some tea?" she asked, motioning inside.

He shook his head and laughed easily. "No, no need to bother!" He smiled, and peered at the little girl, who was staring at him in fascination from the couch. "My," he said, "is this the Hyuuga Anzu-san I've heard about?"

Natsume encouraged her to stand up and introduce herself. She slipped off the cool leather seat and stood straight. "Hello," she said politely. "I'm Anzu. Nice to meet you."

Narumi laughed delightedly. "Such a cute girl!" He looked at her parents happily. "What Alice does she have, exactly?"

"Composing Alice," Natsume said as he touched the raven-haired girl's head. "Would you like a demonstration?" He indicated the grand piano several meters away with a tilt of his head.

The blonde man shook his head, and his eyes were downcast. "Oh, that'd be nice, but we really have to get going," he said, and their eyes flew over to the black car outside. "Perhaps some other time." He paused, then waved at Anzu, who hid behind her dad's leg. "It's time to go," he said soothingly. "Dress warmly."

Anzu nodded, and hurried to get a coat from the closet. She yanked open the white door and slipped a midnight blue winter jacket from the plastic hanger. She stood and slipped her arms through the puffy sleeves and watched as the hanger swung back and forth on the horizontal metal pole. She grabbed a gray flannel scarf from a wooden basket on the floor and draped it on her shoulders. With one last sigh, she shut the door and hurried to the adults at the front door, who spoke in low voices.

"Ah," Narumi said, nodding upon her arrival. "Shall we go?" He offered his hand, and Anzu took it hesitantly. It was surprisingly warm. "Want me to take your suitcase?"

Natsume and Mikan watched worriedly as she shook her head furiously. Her fingers wrapped around the handle of the case and tugged. A long black handle came out, and she glanced at her parents as Narumi opened the door once more. A flurry of white flakes fell inside the house and an icy wind ruffled their hair.

"Goodbye," Narumi said with a sad smile. "It was nice seeing you. I'll make sure Anzu-chan does her homework."

A smile flickered on Mikan's face. "How courteous of you," she said with a gentle laugh. "Thank you for your visit." Her voice caught on _visit_.

Natsume looked at Narumi uneasily, and it was obvious that he did not like the fact that his former teacher was holding his daughter's hand. "Goodbye," he said simply. Then he bent down to her level and gave Anzu a big hug.

"We love you," he said into her ear. "Write us a lot of letters when you can. Brush your teeth. Make lots of friends. And don't date anyone yet."

Anzu looked startled, and her eyes went wide. "W-w-.." she sputtered. "Otou-san, you're crazy!" _How can you talk about boys at a time like this?_

Amusement was written all over his handsome face, and he ruffled her hair. "I'm sure your mom has the same sentiments. Right, Mikan?"

"Hm," she laughed. Her momentary sadness flew away. "Maybe when you're a bit older." But her eyes twinkled mischievously, like she meant the opposite of what she said.

Mikan kissed her daughter's cheek and looked at her directly. Anzu was fascinated by her own reflection in the glassy, hazel orbs that looked into her own.

"Be a good girl," she said gently and squeezed her tightly in her arms. She let go, then both parents stood on their feet.

Anzu hesitated at the open doorway. Her parents looked awfully lonely. She thought about how quiet the house would be without her piano playing and yells when Natsume chased her with a brush. But Narumi's hand grounded her and she returned to her senses. She smiled a small smile at her parents. "Love you," she said, her fist tightening around the suitcase handle. "See you soon."

Then Narumi tugged her gently to the black vehicle, and Anzu put her head down as she pulled the suitcase along the snowflake-piled driveway. The wheels made little tracks all the way to the trunk, where Narumi rapped on the back of the car, and the hinged door popped open. He took the case from her cold hands and placed it among two other suitcases. They were small and neat, like hers.

The blonde man smiled and opened one of the side doors for her. She peered in and saw two children, a female with dark brown layered shoulder-length hair and calm sea blue eyes, and a boy with blonde hair that had a hint of… orange? His cerulean colored eyes looked startled as a gust of wind came into the warm car and a girl stood next to him.

"Scootch over," the girl in the seat said in a quiet voice. The boy looked at Anzu uneasily and slid across the black leather seat and settled next to the quiet girl. Anzu smiled at Narumi briefly before she stepped into the car, and he shut the door carefully behind her.

Narumi quickly yanked on the door to the passenger seat in the front, and slipped inside. "Okay!" he said enthusiastically, and Anzu could feel herself get caught in his cheeriness. The driver began to back the car out of the driveway, and soon, they were gliding on the road. "You are about to go to Alice Gakuen. Anyone nervous?"

The children all looked at each other simultaneously. "Yes," they chorused.

Anzu raised a hand. "Narumi-sensei, are you our homeroom teacher?" she asked curiously.

He laughed brightly. "Yes, I am!" he said. "I was also your parents' teacher."

The other girl smiled distantly. "Ah, Okaa-san talked about you one time…" she said calmly. "'A teacher that has the Pheromone Alice. He likes to wear interesting outfits. But mostly, I ignored him.'" She put up her index finger, as if to make a point. "That's what she said."

Narumi laughed, and sweatdropped. "My, well that certainly sounds like Imai-san. And how about your father?"

The blonde boy was nudged by the girl. "He's a vet," he said nervously. "He takes care of wild animals."

"I see! As expected from Ruka-kun." His lavender eyes lit up, and he looked at them thoroughly with surprise. "Goodness, I didn't realize! How rude of me!" He smiled, and leaned around his chair to get a better view of them. "Could it be that you don't know each other?"

Anzu had been quiet the whole time, and spoke up at that moment. "We do know each other," she stated, then smiled radiantly.

* * *

**Flashback from a few minutes ago**

She beamed when she saw him, and reached out a hand.

_Squeeeze. _Anzu had squeezed the boy's hand very hard, and he had looked startled.

"Scootch over," said a familiar voice behind him.

Anzu peered around the boy's back and saw a girl with pretty brown hair and a smile on her face.

_Maiko-chan, _she said warmly with her eyes. Then she slipped into the seat and Narumi closed the door.

She peered at the boy again, who looked uncomfortable next to her.

"Hoshino-kun," she said softly. He jumped, and his seatbelt kept him strapped to the leather seat. "You look like your dad." She knew the comment always bothered him, as it was said so frequently.

He squirmed, as expected, and Maiko reached an arm around him and patted Anzu's shoulder with quiet thoughtfulness.

"It's been a while," she said quietly. "How long has it been?"

Anzu paused for a second. "A year or two? Sometime around Christmas?"

Narumi interrupted their short conversation. "Okay!" he said cheerily. "You are about to go to Alice Gakuen. Anyone…"

* * *

About a few hours and a subway ride later, a similar-looking black car with a similar black-dressed serious-faced man drove them up to an ominous black metal gate.

A shiny metal plaque mounted on one of the brick square columns on either side of the large gate brilliantly sported the characters for _Alice Gakuen_. The gates slid open with a creak, and the car glided into the large campus.

Snow swirled outside their window, and Anzu watched as flakes dissolved into water when they hit the window. A few unclear figures moved around the courtyard, but the windows were too tinted to see much of anything.

The car came to a stop, and Narumi unbuckled his seatbelt. "We're here," he announced, then flew out of the car and threw open the back seat doors.

The children climbed out of the car unsteadily, and their shoes sank into deep snow. Narumi popped open the trunk and had all three of their suitcases in his hands. He tilted his head at a big glass door. "Shall we go in?"

They all nodded wordlessly and followed him through the snow and onto the sidewalk. Strangely, the sidewalk was clearer than the parking lot, and they could easily walk up to the clear, window door way. Inside, Anzu could see students dressed in white and black uniforms walk in the halls with bags slung across their backs or shoulders. Some glanced through the glass and watched as Narumi tugged open the door and held it for the three small children.

A boy materialized in front of them suddenly, and looked amused at the children's' surprised expressions. He had uniquely colored champagne-pink hair that came in feathery ringlets. The boy was dressed in a black blazer jacket with a white shirt poking out from underneath, and blue-checkered pants. He was older, with a strong chin and handsome facial features, and towered completely above them.

He smiled. "Ah, I received a letter this morning from my parents," he said. "They said there would be a surprise waiting for me sometime today…"

Anzu squeaked and gave him a running hug. She buried her face in his shirt and could smell something like sunshine. "Hareta-niichan, I haven't seen you for so long!" She bounced up and down on her heels, and her long gray scarf flopped in every direction. "Nee, nee, how are Tsubasa-jisan and Miskai-basan? Are they healthy? Do they work? How about you?" she burst. A few roaming students looked at the spectacle with amusement.

Hareta patted her head with an angelic smile. "They're fine," he said. "They do work… They chase criminals and hold them for questioning. Their stories are kinda fun." He smiled at Anzu, then at the three behind her. "School life is pretty easy. Study. Eat. Things like that."

Narumi ushered the other two children closer to the teenaged boy and smiled. "Hareta-kun, could you please escort them to a free set of rooms? That would be a lot of help." He set down their suitcases, which the children immediately grabbed. Then he glanced at his watch. "I've got to hurry to my class," he said with a laugh. He waved goodbye to the children. "See you tomorrow!" As he hurriedly walked off, he shed his black suit jacket draped on his shoulders, and they could see he was wearing a frilly purple shirt with silver buttons down the front, and bright white pants.

Grins spread on their faces, and Hareta tilted his head toward the end of the hall. "We should get going too," he said. "Maybe get you to your next class on time."

He led them down a long hall with tall, arch-shaped glass windows on both sides, and soft light poured in to illuminate the way. Above them, a ceiling stretched high above their heads, and if they craned their neck, they could get a vague glimpse of the inside of a large brass bell.

Hareta smiled at the looks of awe on their faces. "So," he said as they rounded a corner. "Who are you guys?" He glanced at Maiko and Hoshino questioningly.

Anzu looked surprised. "Ah, sorry," she said quickly. "You didn't meet each other at any of our Christmas parties, huh?" She gestured at the girl and boy who walked next to her. "Nogi Maiko and Nogi Hoshino," she said. "They're Ruka-ojisan's kids."

His fine eyebrows rose. "No wonder," he said, staring at Hoshino particularly, his finger on his chin in thought. "This boy is like a younger clone of his father."

Anzu and Maiko laughed at Hoshino's exasperated expression. Hareta looked bewildered.

"You know," he said sternly, "there's nothing wrong with looking like your dad. He's still pretty much a lady killer."

The boy flinched. "That isn't why I'm bothered by it," he sputtered. His blonde brows were knit in frustration. "It's just annoying. People say it all the time. I've become afraid of it now."

Hareta chuckled and stopped in front of a bare wall. "That's fine," he said. Then he pointed at himself. "Look at me. I look a lot more like my mom, right? I have a _feminine _face." He laughed at himself, and the others couldn't resist. They giggled along with him.

"Um," Anzu said, confused. "Are we waiting for something?"

They stood in an empty hall by the bare white wall. A staircase was across from them, and noise tumbled down from upstairs.

"Oh yeah," he mumbled. Then he grinned. "This way's faster." He jabbed a thumb at the wall.

"What? But—"

Hareta laughed, and extended a hand out to Anzu. She took it happily. "Okay," he said to the others, "grab each other's hands. We're going to go through the wall."

They looked at each other, then followed his instructions. Maiko grabbed Anzu's free hand, and Hoshino dangled in the back of the small chain. Their small suitcases were heavy, as they were slung over their shoulders.

"Ready?" he asked everyone. They nodded. Then, he pressed his palm on the wall, and it rippled like water. "Come on, keep walking!" he said, as he stepped inside. His body seemed to disappear before their eyes.

Anzu stepped hesitantly to the smooth white surface, and only Hareta's hand poked out of the wall, his fingers wrapped around her wrist. She gasped as he tugged gently on her, and she fell through what seemed like a waterfall curtain. Something cold and abrupt splashed all over her, yet she could still feel two hands holding hers. She couldn't see anything, only a bright spark that was far away. Anzu unsteadily put one foot in front of the other and walked on a wobbly, unseen surface.

The older boy's voice seemed distant and echoey, and the atmosphere began to lighten. "There's going to be a tight squeeze," he said. "It'll hurt a bit."

As he said it, there was an enormous flash of light, and Anzu hurriedly scrunched her eyes shut. A heavy, crushing force smashed into her right side, then her left, then from all over. Her lungs were momentarily shriveled, and she felt herself falling through another wall, she assumed, as a cold, wet feeling washed over from the top of her head to her toes again.

Nausea forced her eyes open, and light screamed in her eyes. The soft lights from the hall before had been changed into a fluorescent light overhead. The corridor they were in held many closed wooden doors.

The three kids knelt on the floor, trying to get over their dizziness as Hareta waited patiently in front of them. Anzu coughed and staggered to her feet. She helped her friends up to their feet, and they all looked at the older boy with drained expressions.

He smiled a small smile. "It takes a while to get used to it," he said as he led them down the corridor. Anzu patted her jacket, curious. It hadn't gotten wet after all.

They walked for a moment, and their guide paused in front of a door. The metal plaque on the door didn't contain a name like the others did.

"This is a room that's free," he said. "There's another one next to it." Hareta then pointed at the stars on the white collar of his shirt. "See these? This is your rank." Three golden stars gleamed where his finger lay. "This determines what kind of housing, food, and allowance you have. There's hoshinashi (no-star), single, double, and triple, and the last one, special. Your parents probably told you about these."

Anzu nodded. The story about her mom Mikan being a no-star for a few months was told quite often at their house. Natsume liked to poke fun, while Mikan laughed nervously at herself.

Hareta smiled, and his arm dropped to his side. "Well, I'll see you guys later," he said as he walked away. "Get your stuff unpacked. There's probably uniforms somewhere in your rooms. These are only temporary rooms until the higher-ups determine your star level. Anyway, the bell will ring in about… ten minutes? That's when the next class will start." He waved at them. "Bye!" Then he disappeared in a flash.

Maiko and Hoshino stared after him. "Wouldn't it have been easier if we teleported?" the boy mumbled as he opened the second door that Hareta had indicated. "Quicker too…"

Maiko knocked on her brother's head. "He wanted to show us around the school. Besides, we needed it. This place is huge." She motioned at the large hallway. "We'll probably still get lost later." Then she waved at her brother and slipped into the other room. She motioned at Anzu. "Come on, Anzu, what're you waiting for?" She smiled and tugged the raven-haired girl inside. "Aren't you hot in that jacket? It's so puffy!"

The wooden door shut quietly, and on the plaque, an invisible hand quickly engraved the characters for their names into the metal.

_Hyuuga Anzu and Nogi Maiko—Elementary Branch_

* * *

Anzu twirled in her knee-length red checkered skirt and touched the cool surface of the wardrobe mirror. A grin lit up her face. The white and black long sleeved shirt seemed to brighten up her hazel eyes. Her hair hung in an inky halo around her head, and barely brushed her shoulders. She laughed and fell backward onto one of the fluffy beds.

Across from her, Maiko ran her fingers through her dark brown shoulder-length hair, and smoothed the fabric of her skirt. She retied the black ribbon on the front of the shirt. Then she slipped off the bed and put her arms through the straps of a small, sheep shaped backpack, a gift from her mother, Hotaru.

She smiled a small smile and punched Anzu's shoulder gently. "We better get going," she said, her calm voice colored slightly with anxiety. "Don't want to be late."

The other girl tore her eyes from her reflection. "Yep!" she laughed, then swung a small, leather school bag onto one shoulder.

Maiko held the wooden door open for her, and she danced out cheerfully.

"Wonder what kind of people are in our class?" she sang out loud. Anzu skipped happily at Maiko's side. The hall was empty, but distantly there was the sound of numerous doors opening and closing.

The quiet girl pulled out a crisp map from the sheep on her back. It was extremely detailed, bordering on too detailed, and had been penned in blue ink. Straight lines criss-crossed all over the paper, but Maiko had no trouble finding where they were at. Anzu was definitely lost, however.

Maiko led them down a set of stairs, and they went down them easily. They needed to get to a class somewhere a few buildings over. The dormitories were quite far away from the Elementary Branch building…

Soon, they were outside, and Anzu shivered and looked at the sky. Some gray, forbidding clouds were now partially covering up the sun. She shuddered when a clump of snow flew up and touched the skin above her black boots. Maiko ignored the frigid wind and marched right up to the glass door of the Elementary Building. Warmth crept into Anzu's skin when the door closed behind them, and she sighed happily as she rubbed her hands together.

"Where to, now?" she asked the preoccupied girl excitedly. "Class B?"

The quiet girl shook her head, her nose still in the architectural map. "No. Class A."

Anzu's mouth dropped in disappointment. "What? But, Narumi-sensei is supposed to be the homeroom teacher of Class B. Did he lie?"

Maiko looked at her, though her sea blue eyes were distant. "He spoke the truth earlier. He didn't lie." She paused for a moment. "He may have changed classes over the years. Who knows." She continued to walk briskly down the hall, and Anzu jogged to keep up with her, fascinated.

"Hey, Maiko-chan," she said. "You never mentioned what your Alice was. Is it a Soothsaying Alice?"

The other girl shook her head. "I can feel other's emotions. If Narumi-sensei had lied, he would feel guilt," she said calmly. "I can also control peoples' feelings. Like this." She tapped on Anzu's forehead with her index finger. Irritation and annoyance swept throughout her body like a flame.

"Wha!" Anzu cried, and the feeling faded away. "Is that supposed to be how you feel right now? You meanie!"

"Hm," Maiko simply said, looking off in the other direction. A smile was on her pale pink lips.

Anzu stopped and put her hands on her hips. "You know," she said indignantly, "maybe I'll just go on ahead." Then she stomped ahead several meters.

Maiko's eyes widened a bit, and she stretched her hand out towards her. "Wait, Anzu!" she called. But her voice was too quiet. "I sense someone nearby…"

Anzu spun around for a glimpse of her as she rounded a corner. "Huh? What did you say?" she called back. She could hear rapid footsteps drumming the floor behind her.

She slowly turned around, and her heart stopped beating as she glanced into the icy, blue eyes of a running boy. Maiko's hand appeared out of nowhere and yanked her out of the way before they could collide. Anzu was thrown onto the ground hard. The footsteps quickly died away when the figure darted into another hall.

"Just barely made it," Maiko panted, her eyes wide.

The girl on the floor rubbed her bottom. "What was that for?" she sputtered. "He could've run out of the way."

The quiet girl shook her head furiously. "No, no," she said, waving her hands. "That boy… he was different. Hatred seemed to pour out of him…" she trailed off, and turned to stare at a dancing Anzu. "Um, what exactly are you doing?" she asked, bewildered. "Why do I get a feeling of ecstasy from you?"

Anzu giggled, her hands cupped around her face. "That boy! That figure! That face!" she squealed. Maiko froze, not knowing what to do. She turned toward her with sparkling eyes.

"Hayami Yuusuke!" she cried excitedly. She pointed at where the boy was before, her arms moving up and down repeatedly.

"Excuse me?" Maiko stammered. "Do you know someone here?"

Anzu shook her head furiously. "No," she laughed. Her cheeks were flushed. "Hayami is a character I made up with Okaa-san! We made up this story of a handsome telepath that helps people." She danced on the spot. "That boy looked like a younger version of him!" she said excitedly. "That face is just like the drawings we doodled on notebook paper. I can't wait to tell her!"

Just then, the bell rang and large wooden doors began to open. Students, around the same age as them, poured out of classrooms and chattered as they headed to their next class. Maiko spun around as students went around them, like a human river.

"Come on!" she said a bit louder, and grabbed Anzu's arm. She was still waddling in her daydreams of this Hayami character from a story.

She dragged her over to an open door labeled 'A' and tugged her friend inside. A teacher with short brown hair and small black eyes was about to leave the room.

"Oh," he said, looking down at them. "I've never seen your faces before. Are you the new students Narumi brought in today?"

They nodded wordlessly, and he looked relieved. "I see. Anyway, I'm Misaki-sensei. I'm in charge of the greenhouse near the Northern Woods. I also teach biology." He smiled warmly at them. "It was nice meeting you, but I've got to go to my next class…"

A wrinkled hand caught his shoulder, and a croaky voice came from behind the girls. "I'll take over from here, Misaki," said an older man with thinning brown hair that was streaked with grays and a pair of round spectacles balanced on his nose. His eyes narrowed as he glared at the girls. "Get moving," he barked at the other adult.

Misaki hurried away before receiving some backlash of the mysterious metal stick in the older man's hand, and he pushed the girls to the side and dropped his files on the front desk. Maiko pulled the reluctant Anzu toward him.

"Try not to make him angrier," she whispered into Anzu's ear. "Seems like he's angrier than usual today."

The teacher eyed them severely. "Are you the new students?" he asked in a croaky and hoarse voice. He thrust a clipboard in front of his face and scanned the list.

"Hmph," he said distastefully. "I see that you are the children of two different rebellious former students of mine."

Maiko stiffened, her eyes narrowing. Anzu froze.

He waved them away. "Don't make noise in my class," he said. "Or I'll declare you no-stars, just like your mother…" He glared at Anzu briefly, then buried his nose in his notes.

_What a horrible man! _she thought, very offended. Maiko coughed and whisked her away to the ledged seats in the back. They slid onto a ledge, and began to unpack their stuff.

"Okaa-san warned me about him," Anzu mumbled mutinously with a sharp pencil gripped in her hand. "Jinno-sensei's a mean, old fart that likes to zap his students with lightning." She looked disgusted as she slid a notebook out of her bag.

"Yes, my Okaa-san mentioned him a few times," Maiko said calmly. "Said the same thing as your mom, more or less."

A few students came into the room, quieted by the old teacher's twitching eyes. They hurried and sat down and began to prepare for class. Some girls' eyes lit up as they saw Anzu and Maiko among the empty tables.

A girl with wavy blonde hair and another with straight, boyish dark hair came up to them and curtsied. "Hello," said the blonde shyly. "I heard that we were having a few new students today. What are your names?"

Maiko smiled, and pointed at herself, then at the girl beside her. "Nogi Maiko and Hyuuga Anzu," she said calmly.

The blonde smiled in response. "I'm Maria, and this is Nakao," she laughed. The girl with the pixie cut giggled, but didn't say anything. "We both have Divination Alices, so if there's anything you'd like to know, just ask."

Happiness flitted across Anzu's face. "Oh, how cool!" she laughed, clapping her hands together in delight. "How do you go about seeing things?"

"Oh, we do lots of things: tarot cards, crystals, palm reading…" Maria trailed off with a giggle. "It's all very fun and confusing."

As they talked, more and more students flooded into the room. The classroom chattered without a thought for Jinno, who sat from afar and watched them with his eagle eyes.

A sudden thought occurred to Anzu, and she spoke up. "Um, Maria-chan, Nakao-chan, do you know a boy…?" She began to describe the running boy from earlier, and they looked taken aback.

"Oh, that's—"

"Yes, it's definitely him."

Nakao pointed at the open door, and the boy himself walked into the room. He settled into a seat in the back, and students edged a bit away from him in fear.

He had a slender build with a handsome but emotionless face, and his hair was a dark chocolate brown. Dark ringlets tufted over his ears and layered out. The bottom layer at the back of his head barely breached the nape of his neck. Long bangs hung on his forehead, covering his eyes. He had piercing light blue eyes that sent you chills if you looked into them. And around his neck was a foreboding, black ring that looked tight against the pale flesh of his neck.

Nakao motioned for everyone to put their heads closer. Her eyes flickered and saw into each person's frightened pair of eyes. "That boy is Naruse Kirio," she whispered. The name sounded eerie even among the loud ruckus from around the room. "Like his name suggests, he'll cut you if you come near him."

Maria nodded, and swallowed dryly. "He has the Ice Alice, and he's in the Dangerous Abilities class. He's always moody, and by himself. No one talks to him. He's a monster. He practices with Persona, the one who is in charge with outside affairs, every morning. I heard that they snatch passersby and use them as test subjects, like running targets."

_That's so sad. And frightening. _"Are you sure he doesn't have any friends?" Anzu whispered, her throat itching. "Someone to talk to?"

They both shook their heads. "He doesn't allow anyone to speak to him," Nakao said quietly. "I think a few brave upperclassmen tried once... They were all cut up and bloodied."

Maiko touched Anzu's shoulder and she jumped. "So much for your 'Hayami,"" she said, amused. Their secrecy dropped quickly, and they pulled their heads away from each other. "What a shame."

The other two girls looked confused. "'Hayami?'" they echoed. "What's that?"

Anzu puffed up her cheeks. "A story character…"

The bell chimed the beginning of class, and the noise died down in their throats as Jinno rose from his swivel chair and brandished his hand-fitted lightning rod.

What Anzu didn't know was that the boy named Naruse glared at the back of her dark-haired head…

* * *

**Comment: **Okay, a list of some clarifications…

-If you were confused, Hareta (the teenaged boy from the middle school branch that Anzu knew) is the son of shadow controller Tsubasa and doppelganger Misaki. ^-^

-Hareta means "sunny."

-Naruse Kirio. The "kiri" in Kirio means to cut, or is the sound of cutting something. Either one.

-Oh yeah, and Anzu means "apricot." ^-^ Hoshino means "(of the) stars," I think. Maiko is… something (shrugs).

Anyway, thanks for reading this chapter! Please review! (laughs)


	3. Making Friends

**Making Friends**

If you were wondering, Mikan and Natsume are around their late twenties or early thirties. So maybe 29 or 30? I'll probably do an extra chapter about their wedding.

Anzu and others are 8! The same age Natsume and Ruka were when they arrived at Alice Gakuen. They seem so mature though.. (laughs)

There's another musical piece worked in here! I do not own _The Swan_ by Camille Saint-Saëns.

* * *

A large mess hall boasted numerous long, white table-clothed tables that were piled with steaming plates. Students laughed and chattered loudly from the white benches, and with lightning speed wolfed down their food. The smell of rice and spices wafted toward Maiko and Anzu as they stepped inside.

They walked through an aisle of rowdy children, and while they did so, Anzu peeked over her shoulder to have a glimpse of what everyone was eating.

_I'm hungry, _she thought with drool dribbling down her mouth as she eyed someone's grilled fish. Maiko frowned and tugged her forward. They passed by one of the white tables and saw..?

"Oh!" exclaimed Anzu, and she whipped her finger at the blonde-haired culprit. He had a shred of chicken speared on his fork and was about to put it in his mouth when he froze. "Hoshino-kun," she said disapprovingly. "You missed out on class. Several classes, actually."

A devilish gleam appeared in his sister's eye. "Where were you exactly, my brother?" A wicked smile slowly spread on her delicate face, and she pulled on one of his cheeks. "You left me and Anzu alone to face Jinno-sensei's wrath. Forget about the other teachers."

Hoshino looked embarrassed, as some boys he had made friends with were goggling at them, their forks half-way to their mouths. "Sorry," he apologized. "I—I got lost."

"Hmph." Maiko released her pinch on his cheek and stepped back, her eyes mocking. "Your sense of direction runs in circles. Okaa-san even gave you a map, didn't she?"

"Well, yeah, but…" he said half-heartedly, his hands making a flurry of motions. _I can't read it. There's too many lines. What does lavatory mean again?_ were some of the thoughts running amok in his brain.

His sister's blue topaz eyes narrowed, and she turned to Anzu with a blank look. "Let's go," she said, taking her arm again and leading her to a long line of students. The ones in the front smiled as they swept their trays along a metal bar and received plates from robots through the cut-out windows.

Anzu stood behind Maiko, trying to peek around people to see if the line was moving or not. Her stomach gurgled mutinously while she tugged at the white collar of her shirt. "What kind of food do you think we'll get?" she asked wonderingly. "I'm starving."

The quiet girl looked slightly amused. "Maybe single star food? I don't think the school's cruel enough to give out no-star grub to newcomers…"

Luckily, she was right. Anzu happily trotted over and plopped on the bench next to a surprised Hoshino, and Maiko slid in after.

"Itadakimasu!" she said cheerily and clapped her hands once. She scooped up a loaded spoonful of still steaming, fluffy white rice, and grinned while she stuffed it into her mouth. It was plain, but she was strangely filled with the sense of accomplishment and joy.

It was the taste of her new home.

* * *

She breathed through her nose slowly in and out, and turned on her side. The cotton sheets, and on top of that, the downy blanket, curled around her legs. The room was dark, but she could make out the foggy outlines of the foot of her bed, and the still figure of Maiko in the bed across from her.

"Maiko-chan?" she breathed softly. "Are you awake?"

The sleeping girl didn't open her eyes. But her nose twitched. "You just woke me up, dummy," she said calmly, then sat up. She rubbed her eyelids and yawned, her mouth forming a small O.

Anzu sat up in her bed, and shook the covers from her legs. "I can't sleep," she announced, gazing at the moonshine that came in through the checkered curtains of the small window on the wall that was spaced evenly from the head of their beds. "I think I'm going for a little walk. Want to come?"

The other girl stared at her uncomprehendingly. "Sorry, I'll pass," she said after a while. She buried herself under her blankets once more, even pulling them over her head. "I'm too drained. I think I worried too much about that brother of mine. He's hopeless." And with that, she fell asleep within seconds.

Once her breathing sounded soft and regular, Anzu smiled and slipped out of bed. Her night gown swished around her legs and the dangly pink satin ribbons in her dark hair brushed up against her face as she tiptoed to the door.

Trying to be as noiseless as possible, she slipped on her black boots and opened the door. Soft light poured in from the hall, and she waited a few seconds to stare at Maiko's bunched up figure among her bed sheets, then closed the door slowly.

Anzu walked stealthily in the dimly lit corridor and her head turned from side to side, but all she saw was an endless hall of closed, silent doors…

A large, arch-shaped glass window soon came into view, and she smiled happily. Moonlight cast shadows along the white window panes, and she smiled as she leaned on the rail in front of it.

To her surprise, there was a small latch on the rail. She flipped it open out of curiosity and watched as it swung up. Then she pushed outward on the tall windows and a puff of brisk, wintry air ruffled her hair.

Her ears pricked. _Hm? _she thought, turning around. A gentle melody drifted in the air and the sweet notes of an instrument lingered and danced around her, whispering soothingly.

Entranced, she put her foot outside and felt tile underneath as she walked a bit further. It was a hidden balcony. Earlier, when she had gazed at the moon from the inside, the moonlight hadn't illuminated it at all. But now she could see how clearly beautiful and very real it was as she walked and was stopped by a mahogany rail.

The music came from several floors below her, which she suspected to be the ground floor. The enchanting notes came from a boy, who stood in foot-deep snow. Apparently he hadn't realized that someone was watching his midnight performance.

He was slender, with beautiful black hair that was tipped with silver moonlight, and looked graceful though he was in his night clothes. Anzu could only see his back, and parts of the polished, honey brown violin that balanced daintily under his chin, its strings emanating the soft, effortless and skillful notes.

She rested her head in the crook of her arm. _It sounds like water, _she thought dreamily with her eyes closed.

When the boy's song ended, his arm fell loose to his side. He began to turn around, probably making his way inside, but Anzu opened her eyes and called on his shadowy figure.

"That was beautiful," she said, her voice clear and echoey in the night.

He glanced up, and it was covered in shadows, but she could still make out the contours of his face.

His black hair layered out on the sides, and a curtain of bangs hid his right eye. His left eye was a steely gray. His face looked like the face of a poised Roman god come to life. His pale pink lips were parted in slight surprise.

He didn't say anything, so she spoke up again before he could leave. "Are you in love with somebody?" she asked suddenly. The passion and grace with which he played the piece made it seem so.

Anzu could hear a quiet, charming laugh. "No," he said. She could see his face a bit clearer now that he raised it up toward her on the balcony above him. "I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd play."

"Ah, is that your Alice?" she asked, curiosity overwhelming her. She wanted to know if this mysterious boy had a musical Alice like her.

He shook his head, and her hopes fell. "No… I played when I was at home," he said quietly. "My parents persuaded me to learn to play for them. It wasn't so bad."

"Hm…" she said distantly, regarding the moonlit boy. "You play very well. You aren't giving a thought about it at all?"

The boy directed his eyes to the violin held carefully in his hand. "Not sure," he said. "It might be a career I could go into."

A smile lit her face, and she leaned even more on the polished wooden rail. "What's your name?" she asked. "You're in my class, aren't you?"

A small smile crept into his features in response. "Namikawa Axel," he said with a laugh. "I sit near the front of the room."

"Axel?" she repeated, bewildered. "A-Axel-kun?" She giggled. "That's a unique name."

He laughed. "I guess so," he said, and looked back and forth between her and a door to the building, debating whether he should stay and chat or go inside.

"Um," she said suddenly. She still had lots of things to ask him about. "What was the name of the song you played?"

"_The Swan_," he said. Anzu smiled. _I did get a feeling of rippling water…_

"Did you compose it?"

"No… it's by Camille Saint-Saëns."

"Wow… it's so pretty. Ah, I just thought of something. Your violin is so romantic. How many girls have fallen in your lap?"

He laughed. "So many questions! And from all over the place…"

"Answer please?"

"None. I don't really play for anyone but myself anymore. So they come to me by other methods. Not that I really care."

"Oh, that's no fun! You must've had a girlfriend before, right?"

"No," he said with a snicker. He began to trudge through the snow. "I'll see you tomorrow in class, um…?"

She beamed, and the wind tussled her hair playfully. "Hyuuga Anzu."

"Can I call you Anzu then?" Axel looked at her calmly. "It's nice and short."

"Yup, that's fine! Well," she said cheerfully, waving at him, "see you tomorrow!"

She heard him chuckle and step through the snow. A door creaked open, then shut quietly. Anzu grinned as she bounced from the railing to the window, then closed the glass doors once she got inside. She fixed the rail to the way it was before, and danced back to her room.

Quietly, she slipped inside and shut the door. She slid the black boots off her feet and crawled into her waiting bed.

It was cold. Strangely, it had been warmer outside, but that couldn't have been possible, could it? There was definitely snow on the ground…

_I've met someone interesting, _she thought as she yawned and fell into deep sleep. Her dreams that night were filled with warm music and a smile.

* * *

One of the long corridors of the Elementary Division building hummed with life, and students chattered on their way to class with books in hand and bags over shoulders. There were happy "good morning"s everywhere, and laughter.

Her feet drummed the hallway floor rapidly, and she spun around mid-stride to grin. Maiko walked calmly behind her, with no intention of hurrying.

"Hurry up!" Anzu laughed. "I want to see Narumi-sensei!"

The quiet girl smiled a small smile, but she didn't speed up her pace. She tightened her firm grip on her brother's wrist, and tugged him forward while following Anzu to the large wooden door accompanied with a hanging metal star labeled "A".

Anzu pushed on the dark cherry wood door, and emerged into the semi-filled classroom. Maiko released Hoshino's wrist, and he clutched it to his chest, gaping at the prominent white marks on his skin.

A blonde man turned when the excited raven-haired girl bounced up to his desk. Today, he wore a tight-fitting plain white t-shirt and dark-washed jeans. A smile lit up his face as he looked at the tiny girl.

"Good morning, Narumi-sensei!" she chirped. Maiko and Hoshino watched with quiet amusement and stood from afar.

Narumi laughed brightly, and patted the top of Anzu's head. "Why, you look so full of energy. May I ask why?"

She beamed. "No reason," she said, watching him with interest as he scribbled a few things on a paper clipped to a clipboard. "A-anyway, introductions…?" she asked, looking hopeful.

He looked surprised. "Oh, yes, that's right," he laughed. "You haven't properly introduced yourselves to the class yet, have you?" He glanced up at the ceiling, waiting. "Just wait for a few more seconds… the bell should ring soon. We want to have everyone in here to greet you three."

Anzu returned back to Maiko's side and squirmed restlessly. A few straggler students hurried into the room and slid into their seats, panting and exclaiming their relief at not being tardy.

The bell chimed throughout the hall, and Anzu happily turned to Narumi. The blonde man glanced around the room, taking note of absent students. Most of the seats were full, but… His eyes fell on an empty spot in the back of the room and he frowned.

"Has anyone seen… ah, here he is!" Narumi said with a laugh, his eyes straying to a boy who now walked slowly into the classroom.

_Oh, it's that boy! _Anzu thought, staring at him, her interest piqued. The boy named Naruse kept his head down when he walked to his seat. He looked awfully pale, paler than before, and Anzu could've sworn he was limping…

Her eyes were still trained on his turned-away face. She could only see the back of his head now. _Was that sweat? _she wondered worriedly, watching him slide onto the wooden ledge. Maiko edged a bit closer to her and whispered in her ear.

"I think it's that ring," she said quietly. "The ringlet around his neck…" They both stared at the boy, who had just leaned back in his seat. The black ring looked tight, but not much tighter from before. "He's suffering from it. It's choking him."

She looked alarmed. "But why?" she whispered back. "They shouldn't allow that, right? The school…"

Hoshino leaned in on their conversation. "The school is the one who gives out control devices."

She shook her head furiously. "That is so—so…" she trailed off sadly, her eyes riveted on her boots.

Narumi clapped enthusiastically, and the noisy classroom died down. "Okay, everyone," he called, gesturing at the three at front. "You've probably seen these students yesterday and were confused. They haven't properly introduced themselves, and will do so now!" He indicated Anzu to go first with a nod of his head.

Her eyes swept over the class, and watched the questioning looks on their faces. A familiar face was in the front row, his chin propped up by his hand.

_Axel! _She grinned and bowed quickly. "I'm Hyuuga Anzu," she said happily. "Let's all be friends!"

A few giggles came from around the room, and it was Maiko's turn. "Nogi Maiko," she said calmly, her blue topaz eyes spacey.

Hoshino looked nervous, and introduced himself clumsily. "N-Nogi Hoshino…"

Narumi's smile dazzled them all, and he began to clap. "Alright! Very good." He nodded approvingly, and they all headed in the back of the room. Anzu lifted her small hand and waved at Axel briefly, then hurried to join Maiko, who sat with Maria and Nakao. Hoshino slid into a spot with the boys he sat with at the dinner table last night.

"Well," Narumi laughed, turning toward the door, "I've got some business to attend to, so this is a free-study session! See you all in class later!" With that, he zipped out the door, and a man with small coke-bottle glasses and long black hair tied back with a ribbon looked timid and small as he was gently pushed into the room. Narumi's voice could be heard from the hall.

"I'll leave my class to you, Fukutan-sensei!" he laughed, then quickly shut the door and ran away.

The substitute looked petrified in front of the noisy class. "Don't leave things to me!" he wailed, and hid behind the front desk, nervously eyeing the rowdy students.

* * *

Maria, the pretty girl with blonde hair, leaned over and peeked at Anzu's notebook. "What are you drawing?" she asked curiously. Maiko and Nakao's eyes swerved over to the picture she was doodling onto the college-ruled page.

"Don't look!" she squealed shrilly. Anzu's hand immediately swiped the notebook shut, the pencil still inside.

Maiko smiled and tugged the blue notebook from Anzu's hands. She protested profusely as the quiet girl cracked the book open, but Maiko's hand held back Anzu's face.

It was a sketch. A softly lit orb hung in the sky, illuminating the scenery. Small, specks for stars wove in and out, some covered by wispy clouds. On the ground, his feet in the snow, stood a boy, his hair softly streaked with alternating black and white. On his shoulder rested a violin and a long bow was clutched in his right hand, poised above the strings. Below him were multiple shadows that were cast on the snow and overlapped each other.

The other girls stared at the picture and Anzu pouted, having given up.

"It's really pretty," Nakao said, amusement written all over her face when she saw how sullen the artist was. "You draw really well."

Maria nodded, her eyes lingering on the boy. "Who is this?" she asked curiously. "Looks familiar somehow…"

Anzu gasped. _No one knows about Axel's violin playing. _"A boy from my imagination!" she flustered. Maiko's eyes narrowed suspiciously, detecting a lie. But the other two were still admiring the sketch with fascination.

"Oh!" Maria said suddenly, her head whipping up from the notebook. "I just remembered something hilarious." She giggled, and so did Nakao. "We usually don't share other peoples' divinations, but this is a special case…" She began to whisper hurriedly, and in between fits of giggles, Nakao inputted a sarcastic comment, which made them laugh all the more.

Anzu cried with laughter, and slid the notebook shut and back to her side. _Thank goodness for the subject change, _she thought, relieved that Axel's secret still remained unknown.

* * *

Near the end of class, with about ten minutes to spare, Maiko nudged Anzu's ribs. She followed her line of vision to Naruse, who sat by himself. "You want to talk to him?" she asked in a low voice. Anzu nodded, her head bobbing up and down. The quiet girl's eyes glimmered faintly with worry. "I'll watch you two, just in case anything happens, okay?"

"Eh?" Anzu said, surprised. Her eyes lit up. "You're letting me go? That's so nice of you!"

Maiko tilted her head calmly. "He seems pretty weak now. Probably won't do too much…" She gave her a gentle push, and Anzu was forced off the ledge. "Go," she mouthed. Her eyes trailed her as Anzu approached the boy across the aisle.

The boy stiffened when he heard her footsteps come near, but he didn't raise his head. The atmosphere seemed tense. "Um," she said, her fingers on his desk, and she stood before him, by the ledge in front of his. "Can I sit here?" she asked.

"Go ahead," he said in a low, hoarse voice. She slid into the seat and faced him, her elbows propped on the table.

He remained silent, so she prompted him with more conversation. "Do you like being by yourself?" she asked. Her skin prickled when he whipped his head up to stare at her.

His dark hair hid his eyes. "Yeah," he said.

_Oh, he's talking so normally, _she thought, relieved. _Were all those rumors about him fake?_

"Um," she said, but was interrupted by Naruse. She could see his eyes clearly now. They were very light, just barely blue, and his pupils were black pinpricks. His eyes looked wild, like of a ferocious animal.

"Leave," he said suddenly. Bewilderment washed over her. _Already? _She twisted around for a glimpse of Maiko, who watched them carefully. Her eyes did not once leave the spectacle.

A shiver ran down her spine as she turned back to him. "Um," she said, racking her head for something to say. "Naruse-kun—"

His hands had been clenched under the table the whole time. "Don't speak like you know me," he said, his eyes narrowing. "What is your Alice?"

The sudden change of topic threw her off. "Wh—Composing Alice," she said, confused.

He sneered at her. "How useless," he laughed. "You can't even defend yourself, can you?"

"Eh?" she said, and he pulled her up by grabbing just below the collar of her shirt. "Hey, what are you..?"

Anzu watched a look of panic spread on Maiko's face, and she hurriedly jumped up. Anzu blinked when she felt something piercingly cold and hard press up against her throat.

His eyes were dark with hatred, and something that looked like a crystal scratched the skin of her neck. A dangerously sharp point drew a few ruby drops from her skin.

"Hm," he said distantly, examining her face with a critical eye. "Not bad." Then he dropped her on her feet, and she staggered back to Maiko, who glared at him.

"Don't bother me," he said, coughing violently. The ice dagger in his hand dissolved into frozen dust. "I'll gash you."

Naruse put his hands in his pockets and sulked out the classroom door. The substitute teacher, Fukutan, cried out in alarm, but was quieted by the boy's glare.

The door closed, but no one seemed to have noticed the incident. The class was as noisy as ever, and Anzu gingerly felt her neck while Maiko guided her back to their seats.

"Suddenly he became angry," the quiet girl said, patting Anzu's small injury with a tissue from the small sheep backpack on her desk. "He seemed like he wasn't going to do anything before…"

"He's so strange," Anzu said irritatedly. "His sentences are sharp and cut you off. Like a caveman."

A glimmer of amusement appeared in Maiko's eyes, but it didn't sway the expression of worry on her face. The bell chimed for the end of homeroom, and she hurriedly ripped the paper wrapping off a plastic bandage and stuck it gently on Anzu's neck.

"There," she said gently. She slipped the straps of her backpack through her arms and waited for Anzu to sweep her notebook into her bag. "Let's go."

* * *

**Comment: **Thanks for reading!

Oh yes, and as mentioned before, _The Swan_, the song Axel was playing, is real. I'm not sure if it's originally on violin though… The version I heard was violin. It's originally by Camille Saint-Saëns, like it said in the text. The violin version was by a talented violinist named Joshua Bell.

Please review! :D


	4. Technical Abilities Class

**Technical Abilities Class**

The halls of Alice Gakuen were as busy as ever, and full of busy body students. They propelled themselves to their classes while laughing loudly. Several mischievous students played pranks on serious-faced students. It was pretty normal for a school day.

A tall blonde man with a feminine face glided through the corridor, with a raven-haired girl at his side. Students clad in white and black tops and red skirts and pants threw "good morning"s at him, to which he gave a beaming smile each in return.

"As I was saying," Narumi continued, looking on with amusement as a student made parts of the hallway rain, and stepping carefully through a puddle that collected in the middle of the floor, "today's a special day."

Anzu glanced up in confusion. "I've already been here for a week," she said, pondering. Excitement then lit her eyes. "Oh, so it's that, huh?" A bright smile lit up her face. "The weekly classes?"

Narumi chuckled as he pushed on the heavy mahogany wood door of Class A. "Yes, that's precisely it." He strode over to the front counter that was piled with papers and settled on his rickety wooden stool. Anzu came to a slow halt before him.

He laughed. "Do you know what class you're in?"

Her dark brows knit together in concentration. "Um…" she said, and her voice was strained. "Special Abilities?" She sounded almost hopeful. Her dark hazel eyes shone with puppy-like begging.

Narumi's pale hand flew to his mouth. "Oh no," he laughed brightly, ruffling her hair. "You're actually in the Technical Abilities class…"

"Eh?" was all she could say. Her heart plummeted. She had really wanted to meet the same teacher who had her mom. Anzu was curious about the aloof, easy-going Nodacchi who always got lost in his spontaneous time traveling.

Narumi chuckled. "I'm sorry," he apologized with a smile. "But you won't be alone, Anzu-chan. Let me see…" He reached out to one of the clip boards on his desk and flipped through its contents. He squinted at the small print on a blue paper, then grinned. "Don't worry, you'll be with Hoshino-kun, at least," he laughed.

Anzu gathered her strength together. _It's all good! _The thought of being with her "cousin" made her relaxed. A dubious look crossed her face. _He's so antsy though, _she thought worriedly. _Will Hoshino-kun be alright? _

"Ah," Narumi said suddenly, startling her out of her thoughts. "By the way," he began curiously, "what Alice does Hoshino-kun have?" His lavender eyes flickered to the said boy as he walked into the room nervously with his sister. "I'm aware that Maiko-chan has the ability to read and control emotions…."

They both watched as the pair split to the opposite sides of the room: Hoshino sat with the boys who snickered deviously, probably planning a prank on a few unwary girls, and Maiko with Maria and Nakao, debating about recent divinations and strange phenomenon.

Anzu's eyes looked distant. "Hmm, well," she said slowly. "At our last Christmas party, not the one last month, but the one one last year, we made a few things with our Alices."

Narumi nodded in fascination, and she continued. Her eyes were wide as she felt the disbelief from a year ago. "Hoshino-kun made something for me. It was a beautiful bow and… what do you call those.. a container? There's a word for it… A container of arrows.

"I asked about the way he made them. Then he grabbed some paper and asked for a needle." Anzu looked shocked. "I got the needle for him, and he pricked himself! His thumb, actually… I yelled, but he just ignored it and pressed his thumb onto the paper. Hoshino-kun drew something with his blood. But I can't remember what it was.. Anyway, it leapt off the paper and was a real thing! Like, I could touch it and stuff!"

Narumi waved a hand for her to calm her babbling. "So," he laughed at her red face, "he has the ability to create objects by drawing with his blood."

She nodded furiously, and the older blonde man chuckled. "It's quite ironic," he laughed. "It's almost like the Invention Alice Imai-san has, but with a strange twist."

Anzu perked up. "Ohh, Hotaru-obasan? That's right."

The bell chimed throughout the room and corridor, and students shifted into their seats. Anzu bowed quickly and hurried over to a patient Maiko and the girls. Narumi smiled in relief as a student with untidy dark brown hair slunk into the room, not caring that he was tardy.

_Naruse-kun! _Anzu thought with disapproval and unease as she watched him walk calmly to his seat in the back. His head was always down, his hair covering his blank expression. _Seriously, what is wrong with that guy? _she thought angrily as the events of last week flooded her senses. Naruse had threatened her with a sharp ice crystal. Anzu had once wondered why he didn't just freeze people by enclosing them in ice, and realized something awful. He probably enjoyed watching people stagger away with blood dripping from their wounds, figuring it would leave them more mental damage then yelling silently from a coffin of ice.

Anzu pouted and turned away from him, disgusted. Maiko looked calm as she patted her hand under the table.

"It'll be alright," she said quietly. Anzu immediately relaxed. The girl with the topaz eyes had tampered with her emotions a bit, siphoning in some relaxation through the back of her hand.

"Thanks," Anzu whispered back, grateful, but somewhat put out when Maiko didn't allow her emotions to run as they pleased.

Narumi smiled brightly, smoothing the flared collar of his periwinkle blue shirt. "Good morning, class!" he laughed. "Today we'll be having a pop quiz! For Anzu-chan, Maiko-chan, and Hoshino-kun, don't worry about the questions. Just do your best."

A moan rippled through the class, and several students pondered mutiny, their wide eyes flickering from the enormous stack of papers in Narumi's hands to the two wooden doors on each end of the spacious room.

Narumi chuckled. "You have ten minutes. Don't cheat! If you do, I'll punish you, and you know how that goes…" A meaningful silence followed.

Students hurriedly passed around the quizzes, and their pencils flew across the papers.

* * *

The bell chimed the end of homeroom, and students chattered as they slid out of their seats and out the door for the next class.

Anzu slung her brown school bag over her shoulder, and waited for Maiko to slide her class materials into her sheep backpack. Impatient, she spoke out before Maria and Nakao could leave.

"What class are you guys in?" she asked curiously. "You know, the weekly class."

A smile lit up Maria's pretty face. "Me and Nakao are in the Latent Type class."

Nakao added, "It's for those with psychic abilities. Telekinesis, teleportation…"

"I'm also in it," said Maiko calmly. "Hareta-sempai as well. Because he has the Teleportation Alice, and the other one…" She frowned, thinking of a name to call the Alice that allowed their middle school upperclassman to travel through walls.

Anzu tilted her head. "I guess it makes sense that we're not together," she said sadly.

"My dumb brother will watch you, so it's fine, I think," Maiko said with dark humor as she put her arms through the straps of the little sheep bag. She was acutely aware of Hoshino, who appeared by her side.

"Who's dumb?" he asked sarcastically. Hoshino seemed used to being made fun of by his younger sister, and didn't seem offended any further when Maiko remained silent.

"You guys," Anzu said, dismayed as she tried to dissolve the barrier between the two siblings. She glanced at Maria and Nakao for help, but they flashed quick smiles and thumbs-up and left the premises in a hurry.

The three of them left Class A, and Anzu felt small as the siblings bickered on either side of her. She broke them up several times by flustering her arms, but they kept at it until they reached a different building and came to a halt at a hallway intersection inside.

Maiko pointed at a large wooden door several paces away. "Latent Type's over here," she said calmly. "See you at lunch." She then waved at them briefly, and walked through the hall at their right. She paused, and turned to eye Hoshino sternly.

"Make sure Anzu doesn't screw someone else up," she said with a small smile. "She can be pretty klutzy sometimes."

Anzu looked defiant. "I-I'm not klutzy!" she sputtered, waving her arms around in mock anger. The quiet girl smiled wider for a moment, then turned her back to them and disappeared through the door. Surprisingly, no noise came from inside the room. It was more of an ominous buzz… like when many people were mumbling in low voices at once.

With chills down their spines, Anzu and Hoshino hurried down the hall, scanning each wooden door for one that was labeled "Technical Abilities."

They found it after experiencing a lot of frustration and panic. Hoshino was bad with directions, though he had an extremely detailed map of the grounds in his hands. Anzu was the impatient type, and quickly plummeted into panic when they discovered they had walked in the same halls more than a few times.

Hoshino, feeling obligated to hold the door for Anzu, pushed the door open first, and a burst of loud noise exploded in their surprised faces.

A myriad of students clad in aprons and goggles, all with a variety of tools in their hands greeted them with grins. A banner was hung over a few exposed ceiling beams, stating, "Welcome, Newbies!" They looked on with amazement when it rippled, changing the words on itself, and realized that it was not a banner, but a hologram created by a machine.

A woman with her burning red ringlets tied with a ribbon into a ponytail and startling gold eyes stepped toward them with open arms.

"Hello," she said in a magnificent, dramatic voice. She flourished a hand at their extremely full classroom. "Welcome to the Technical Abilities class, you two."

Anzu's eyes were wider than Hoshino's. "Aaah!" she yelled, suddenly stunned.

The young woman looked delightfully surprised. "My, how adorable!" she laughed enchantingly, pinching Anzu's cheek. "What an exciting delayed reaction!" She smiled at the confusion on their faces and hurriedly ushered them in. Students clamored up to them, shooting questions endlessly.

"W-W—" Hoshino sputtered when two middle school girls crept up from behind and threw a white apron on him. They handed him a pair of goggles, then did the same for Anzu.

The young woman nodded, pleased with the additions to their appearances. "Alright," she laughed. "I am Haruna, your teacher for this class." She twirled a deep red ringlet around her index finger as she surveyed them with pursed lips. "Hm, yes…" she said suddenly. She turned toward her left and pointed by the windows. Light poured in from the outside, and through the glass, Anzu could see sparkling white snow, like diamonds, gathered on the spindly bushes outside. But, by a desk full of paper and ink and pens was…?

"Ah, you look so surprised!" Haruna laughed, clapping her hands delightedly. She tugged the winded pair to the open space. "It's a grand. Isn't it lovely?"

Anzu ran her hand over the smooth black leather of the piano bench in front of the spotless black grand piano. "It's beautiful," she said softly. Smiles came from all around the room.

"Yes!" Haruna shrieked. She looked ecstatic. "You have a Musical Alice, yes? You are welcome to use this. It was from the Music Room. Thank them, not me." Her perfect Japanese had been replaced with an elegant foreign accent that sounded like fragrant flowers basking in warm sunshine. "And you, my friend," she laughed, indicating the desk full of paper for Hoshino, "this is yours."

"Thanks," he said, a bit confused.

"Hm," she said, clapping her hands as if he had said something funny. "'Thanks,' he says!" Haruna said in a shrill happy voice. Then her expression turned dark. "Narumi warned me about your Alice," she said, her gold eyes flickering. "You are not to cut yourself on my watch! Understand?"

Hoshino nodded wordlessly. Haruna looked ecstatic once more. "Very good! I am glad to be understood. For now, you will practice with ink and pens." She held up a hand when the blonde boy protested. "I know that it may be impossible for your Alice to work without blood, but I was strictly told to not allow you to become anemic. Too much blood loss is bad for body!" She jabbed her index finger at him theatrically. Silence filled the room.

After a moment more, she said calmly, "That is all." Haruna whipped around and glared at the silent students crowded around them. "Scram, class!" she roared, her jewelry around her wrists clanging as she waved her arms. "Back to your stations!"

The students scattered hurriedly, reassuming their places. They became once more absorbed in their individual work, and Haruna grumbled to herself and strode to her untidy desk, her silk dress billowing around her graceful, long legs.

Anzu pressed a hand on her hammering heart. "Goodness," she whispered to Hoshino as he reluctantly sat down. "What a strange teacher! I feel like I've been thrown around like a rag doll."

He picked up a pen and stared at it uncomprehendingly. "Yeah," he said as he set it down and unscrewed the lid of the bottle of black ink. Hoshino glanced up and looked confused. "Why don't you sit down already?" He gestured to the empty piano bench.

"Ah, sorry, I was just thinking," she said distantly as she slid onto the cool, familiar black leather. She had missed her piano back at home, where she would play everyday and make her parents smile.

Anzu mindlessly lifted up the black lid and balanced her fingers daintily on the ivory keys. Then a thought occurred to her. "Oh," she said aloud.

"What's up?" Hoshino asked, not looking up from the beginnings of his ink drawing. She couldn't tell what it was yet.

"I don't have any paper to write on," she said, standing up and peering around. "I have to write the notes in…

Footsteps approached from behind Anzu. "Here you are," a girl with black hair tinged electric blue said kindly. She wore an apron over her black blazer jacket and blue checkered skirt. She was a middle schooler.

The girl handed empty music sheets and a mechanical pencil to her. Anzu took them gratefully. "Thank you, um, Sempai…" she said shyly as she propped the papers up.

"It's Midorizawa Kioriko," she laughed. "But you can call me Kiori. And you two…?"

"Nogi Hoshino."

"Hyuuga Anzu."

Kiori grinned. "Eh, looks like I just got myself two cute kohai (underclassmen)!" She smiled and indicated a lazing guy tapping a pencil against the surface of his desk, and a girl who studied several photos spread out before her. "See those two? Those are my friends. You want to talk to them?"

"S-sure!" Anzu bubbled enthusiastically. She hurriedly tore Hoshino away from his drawing, and ignored his protests as she dragged them over to the group.

Kiori nudged the loafing boy. "Hey, you haven't written anything yet," she scolded playfully as she cuffed his ear. "Write something, Tazaki!"

The boy named Tazaki stopped tapping his pencil and covered his thick notebook with his arms. "I've got a severe case of writer's block," he said seriously. "Leave me alone."

Kiori tugged the notebook free with ease. Tazaki didn't put up much of a fight. She squinted at the neat characters that spewed all over one page.

She laughed brightly and whacked her friend with the heavy notebook. The girl with the photos, who sat across from him at the same table, was startled out of her chair.

"You moron. Are you a man? This is some good stuff. Now write it in paragraph form. Put life into this part."

"Huh? No way, I wrote that on a whim. It's junk. Don't read it."

"Stupid, why say that when I already saw it? Anyways, it's fine, so just write already! You're just being lazy."

Tazaki turned to stare at Hoshino and Anzu with his head still in his arms. His eyes gleamed mischievously. "Maybe I am," he said distantly.

"This guy," Kiori growled at the younger children as she clobbered him on the head with the book, "is a great writer. His stories are amazing! Simply put, he can write a story that can make you laugh, cry, and cheer for the hero or heroine. You feel like you're there with the characters. Kind of like in a movie."

Tazaki patted his head for any mysterious lumps Kiori might've created from repeatedly hitting him. "It's nothing," he said distantly.

"Accept. Complements. Already," Kiori said irritatedly, whacking him on the head after each word.

The girl with the photos leaned forward, worry flickering on her small heart-shaped face. "P-please don't fight anymore," she said in a small voice while waving her hands. Her eyes were wide. "Not in front of those two…"

Anzu giggled. "Um," she said. "Please stop, Kiori-sempai. Tazaki-sempai can't write like that, can he?"

"Ooh," growled Kiori, her eyes gleaming devilishly. "Anzu-chan, you don't know the half of it. He's suffered worse. And he still wrote a mind-blowing ending for a tragedy. So it's alright if I just hit 'im a bit more…"

_Whack! Whack!_

Tazaki sighed, and tugged the notebook away from Kiori. "I'll write, geez." He laughed loudly, and several heads around them turned away from their work. Haruna whipped her head up and glared. "Whoops, just made Sensei mad. Let's quiet down."

Hoshino looked startled as the teacher's hard gold eyes studied him carefully. Then she cheerfully went back to sifting out whatever was on her desk.

"What's up with Haruna-sensei?" he asked in a low voice. "W-what is she?"

Kiori scoffed. "You talk as if she's an animal."

"Well…" Hoshino said, sweatdropping.

Tazaki chuckled, and the girl with the photos smiled. "Haruna-sensei is always like this. She's dramatic and yells a lot. She's definitely not from Japan, but no one knows where she's from. A total mystery. Anyway, she doesn't like how quiet it is in here, so she makes a lot of noise so that she doesn't get bored." He grinned. "She's strange, but we all love her."

The girl with the photos giggled. "Haruna-sensei can be very kind. She understands difficult issues… You'll come to like her in time."

"Ah, whoops," laughed Kiori as she knocked on the other girl's head. "I haven't introduced the quiet one. This is Namikawa Miroko. Her Alice is what's in those pictures right there."

Miroko looked shy as Anzu and Hoshino carefully picked up the photos on her desk. Anzu glanced at one of a tree in spring and nearly dropped the picture.

"It's moving!" she gasped, watching as the little trees branches swayed in the wind. Small green buds dotted its long, sweeping branches, and tendrils of grass rippled like an ocean wave.

Hoshino was looking at one of a dancing woman. "Cool," he said as the woman did a pirouette. He laughed as the lady in the photo looked at him with a surprised expression. "You just take pictures normally?"

Miroko nodded, her face flushed from the praise. "Uh-huh. It turns out like this… at first, I was scared of my ability, but I came to like it.." She smiled.

Anzu squinted at her. "Your last name is Namikawa?" she asked wonderingly.

Miroko nodded again, her long, wavy dark hair tickling her face.

"Are you related to Axel…?"

The older girl looked surprised. "Oh my," she said. "You know my little brother?" Then she looked happy. "Of course, you must be in the same class… how silly of me." Miroko laughed. "Yes, Axel is my brother, but I'm afraid I don't know him too well. My memories of him were when I was five… he was one, back then. I came to Alice Gakuen after that."

"Oh," Anzu said, surprised. "I see."

"Yes, I've been trying to spend more time with him," Miroko said distantly. "Ah, for the Christmas celebration last month, I gave him a present and we danced around the Christmas tree…" She seemed to be mumbling to herself.

"Ah," said Anzu. "I just thought of something. What Alice does Axel have? He didn't tell me.."

Horror flickered on Miroko's face. "Oh my!" she exclaimed. "Th-that is…" Her soft gray eyes were wide. "I'd tell you, but he'd get mad at me. No, he'd be furious…"

Hoshino leaned forward. "Oh, Namikawa… that guy in the front of our classroom? What's up with him?" He made a dubious face. "He shuts out everyone. It's annoying."

Anzu turned on him. "Hoshino-kun," she hissed angrily. "What do you know? He's perfectly nice."

He looked shocked. "Nice? Him? No way. You're mistaking him for someone else. Seriously… he says the most sarcastic and witty things. Like he knows everything. And really, all those girls around him.. what about him is so special?"

Anzu wanted to punch him. "Shut up," she said, scrunching her eyes closed. "Don't talk like that. He's not like that at all."

"Um," Miroko said in a small voice. "P-please don't fight…" She flinched when everyone turned to look at her. "Axel is often misunderstood.. I think he likes it that way."

Hoshino looked incredulous. "Hmph, weird guy…" he muttered, the fire put out. Anzu glared at him.

"Anyways," Kiori laughed awkwardly, "we've got to go back to our seats… Haruna-sensei looks like she wants to murder us…"

Tazaki chanced a glance at the teacher. Her eyes were narrow slits, and her furious expression was mostly hidden by a pile of things on her desk. "Well," he said nonchalantly. "It was nice talking with you kohai. Bye."

Hoshino and Anzu returned to their places, each swimming in their own thoughts.

* * *

Anzu grimaced as the bell chimed the end of class. Two music sheets were filled with scribbled notes. She hadn't been able to concentrate on her music as she was thinking about how angry Hoshino was.

_Uwah, scary, _she thought as she put away her used papers. The rest she left on the piano for next week. _Is he still mad?_

She eyed him stealthily from behind the piano. Hoshino was tightening the lid on the ink bottle. Suddenly he spun around and noticed her eyes on him. He looked cautious, as if he too wanted to gauge her mood. They both laughed at their similar expressions.

"Sorry about earlier," he said once they had left the room. Noise overcrowded the halls, and he nearly had to shout. "I got over my head."

"It's okay," Anzu said sheepishly. "I went a bit nuts myself. Sorry." She looked frightened. "We still friends?"

He laughed, and patted her head. "Well, yeah." Hoshino grinned. "Sorry, I was supposed to watch you, but you ended up watching me, huh?"

"S-stop saying sorry!" Anzu blurted, feeling flustered. "And what's with the watching? Maiko-chan's strange…"

He looked dubious. "You said it," he said, shivering. "Don't say that name. It brings bad luck."

"How mean!" she said. "Your poor sister…"

"Hello," said a calm voice next to Anzu.

"Eeek!" she shrieked, and she threw herself onto Hoshino.

Maiko looked amused. "My, I've never had such a strange reaction to my greeting," she said calmly. "Were you two talking about me, perhaps? 'The devil appears!' or something…?"

They both shook their heads furiously. They didn't want to get a beat down.

"Oh…? Really?" she said, tilting her head as she regarded them. A smile then flashed on her face. "No matter. It's time for lunch. I'm hungry. Let's go."

Maiko then grabbed them both by their sleeves and dragged them to the bustling cafeteria.

* * *

**Comment: **Axel is keeping his Alice a secret. (laughs) He hates it. You'll see in later chapters…

Oh, he'll show up a bit more often. He hasn't appeared in a while (ack!). ^-^

Have to come up with the next chapter… I'm going to be caught up with summer school work, so updates will probably come kinda slow (like this one, but I was on vacation). If they come in fast, it means that I'm procrastinating with my other work (ugh!). Haha…


	5. Red Storm

**Red Storm**

Nearly a month had passed since the trio's arrival at Alice Gakuen. It was the beginning of February, and the white snow on the ground slowly began to dissolve into puddles. Flakes ceased to drift out of the clear sky. There were only patches of gray cloud against the pale blue sky, an improvement from the endless lack of color.

Anzu mumbled incoherently in her sleep and pulled the bed sheets over her head. Her dark lashes touched the roof of her blanket.

Maiko and Anzu had been moved into a new room. They were still together, as they had been dubbed the same rank: Single star. Hoshino was made a single as well. They had been told to move on upward with their studies and behavior.

Her face began to heat up and she poked her head out from underneath her blanket. Cold air lapped at her warm cheeks, and Anzu shivered as she craned her neck in the direction of flowing air.

The small window on the wall had been left ajar. The light dancing through their window told her that it was about nine o'clock, and time to wake up for breakfast. Anzu stretched her arms high above her head and yawned simultaneously as her eyes turned to look at Maiko's sleeping figure among the mess of white sheets on the bed opposite to hers.

Anzu stood paralyzed on the spot.

_Maiko-chan's crying…? _

Alarmed when she saw something sparkle and cascade down the sleeping girl's cheek, Anzu crept over to her side and laid her hand on Maiko's tussled bed head hair.

"M-Maiko-chan, wake up," she said, her voice trembling.

The sleeping girl did not notice the hand on her head. Tears continued to slide down her face, falling and staining the fabric of her pillow case. Maiko began to buck in her bed, kicking the sheets from her body, which explained the heaped mess of blankets.

"W-what's wrong?" Anzu screamed, panicking.

Maiko's topaz eyes flew open. A stream of tears poured out, revealing bloodshot eyes. Her dark lashes were damp and clumped together. Beads of cold sweat were gathered on her brow and temples. She sat up in bed and swiped her tongue over dry, cracked lips.

"N-nightmare," she gasped, as if she had just run a marathon. Her chest heaved irregularly. Maiko clutched the mattress sheet of her bed, her eyes flashing with fear.

Anzu's heart started to work again, and she sat on Maiko's bed next to the exhausted girl. "Are you okay?" she asked timidly. She poised toward the wooden door. "If you want, I'll get you some water or aspirin…"

Maiko shook her head furiously, and her messy dark brown hair flew in all kinds of directions. "No," she whispered. "I'm not sick." Her bottom lip trembled, and she turned to gaze into Anzu's worried eyes. "I dreamed about Alice Gakuen," she said slowly.

Anzu clutched her friend's hands tightly. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," she said gently.

The girl shook her head again. "No, I need to tell… what I saw. Alice Gakuen…"

"I'm listening."

Maiko's pupils were pinpricks of fear. "Alice Gakuen… engulfed in flames, and dyed a blood red.." she rasped in a voice unlike hers. She then began to cough violently, and a ruby spot appeared in the palm of her hand.

"You're coughing up blood!" Anzu gasped, horrified. Her stomach plummeted in fear. "Don't speak anymore. Rest for now."

Ignoring her words, Maiko whispered huskily in between coughs, "Bodies… broken and bloody. Lifeless… white eyes and gaping mouths. Bugs everywhere.. The smell of Death. Pain, crying… Have mercy! No… this hurts..!" She suddenly doubled over, her hand clawing at her chest. Anzu wrapped her arms around the girl, restraining her as she tried to jump up.

"Di… power… We w… ek… e..r...ing power… Re… w…" Maiko rambled, her eyes rolling to the back of her head. She then fell limp in Anzu's arms.

"M-M—" Anzu gasped. Then she let out a sigh of relief when the girl's chest heaved slowly. Maiko had just gone unconscious.

She gently put the girl back into her bed and covered her with the wrinkled white bed sheets. Worry lines crinkled her forehead.

_Please rest without monsters haunting you, _Anzu prayed silently as she slipped out of her night gown and into her school clothes. She looked at Maiko's limp figure on her bed with despair, and slung her small school bag onto her shoulder. Anzu tiptoed to the wooden door, slipped on her boots, and quietly snuck into the hallway.

Other children from her class flashed a few grins at her and cheery "good morning"s. But Anzu half-heartedly returned them back, her spirit crushed. Frantically, she hurried down several hallways, and out of the dormitories. She closed the distance between her and the Elementary Division building, and pushed on one of the spotless glass doors.

* * *

She shoved her body against the heavy wooden door labeled "Class A" and dashed into the room. Narumi glanced up at her in surprise, tearing his eyes away from a newspaper.

"Why the rush?" he asked in confusion, noting her anguished expression. His lavender eyes widened. "Are you injured anywhere?"

She shook her head furiously. "No," she said, her eyebrows knit together in despair. "Um, Narumi-sensei? Can I ask you something?"

He tilted his head. "Yes, of course," he said, frowning at how formal she was sounding. "What is it?"

Anzu repositioned the strap of her school bag on her shoulder. "We can mail our parents, right?"

The blonde man looked thoughtful, then his eyes turned downward. "Mm… yes and no."

The little girl looked dismayed. "And what does that exactly mean?" she demanded.

"Well," Narumi said slowly, "yes—you can mail your parents, but only after a year after your enrollment."

Her hazel eyes widened. "A year? T-that's too long!" _Have to tell Hotaru-obasan and Ruka-ojisan about Maiko-chan's dream…_

Narumi closed his eyes, sorrow emanating from his body and pain flickering on his face. "Yes… it's true. Security has tightened since… that incident." His breath came out slowly. "It's rather inconvenient." The way he said _inconvenient _seemed to convey many meanings.

Anzu clenched her hands on the fabric of her red checkered skirt. "So, everyone has to wait a year?" _Not just the children of the rioters…?_

"Yes," Narumi answered. He studied the silent girl, whose head was bowed. Worry filled his warm voice. "Anzu-chan," he asked concernedly, "did I upset you?"

_The smell of Death, _Maiko said in her mind, her strange, hoarse voice haunting her outside the cold dorm room.

"Anzu-chan?"

Narumi's voice pulled her away from her thoughts and brought her back to reality. The chattering classroom slid into her vision again. The beautiful blonde man before her leaned closer, concern written all over his face.

The dark-haired girl shook her head slowly. "N-not at all," she said, hiding her anxiety. "I'm fine." She then flashed a false cheery grin and jabbed her thumb at where Maria and Nakao sat, who peered around in confusion, looking for Maiko. "I'm gonna sit down now. See you."

She spun around clumsily and stumbled a few paces down the aisle, the noise of the classroom going dead in her ears.

"Ah—" she could hear Narumi say. Anzu almost expected him to stop and call her back, but he didn't. So she continued onward to her friends.

Maria twisted a wavy blonde lock around her finger nervously. "Where's Maiko-chan?" she asked, glancing up at Anzu, who slid onto the ledge.

Nakao was looking downward at her notebook quietly. Her eyes were dark. "Maria," she said calmly, "do you remember the scrying we did this morning?"

Her companion looked surprised, then silent horror crept onto her pretty face. "N-no way," she said shakily. "Are you relating it to Maiko-chan?"

Anzu turned toward them, her mouth set in a straight line. "What did you see?" she asked. Her hands were clammy in fear.

Maria scrunched her eyes closed and her hands lay on top of her heart. "Well," she said softly, "what we saw wasn't her, but…" She looked toward Nakao with a nearly inaudible whimper.

The pixie-haired girl looked grave, and her voice was unusually low. "In eternal darkness…" she began.

Anzu froze when they delivered the words to her in bits and pieces. After the third sentence, she clamped her hands over her ears.

"No!" she shouted, and she dared not look at them. Her heart was experiencing tremors, her hands slick with sweat. "No…" Her stiff pose then collapsed, and she rested her cheek on her arms.

"Please don't say anymore," she whispered.

Maria and Nakao closed their eyes in despair, but otherwise unaffected. They were used to such things when delving through the near-future.

Anzu began to cry. Hot tears spilled over her cheeks.

_Lifeless… white eyes…_

Maria wrapped an arm around Anzu's shaking shoulders. "Sorry," she apologized softly. "This topic shouldn't be talked about at all…" She then took back her arm and slapped her face with both hands. The suddenness of her action startled the other two girls.

"Okay," she said, her breath slowly coming outward evenly. "What we saw is uncertain to happen. The future is always changing. Right?" She beseeched Anzu and Nakao with her green eyes.

Nakao nodded sagely, and Anzu wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"Now," declared Maria, her voice changing to humor, "it's February. Do you know what that means?"

"Eh?" Anzu said, a wave of bewilderment sweeping over her, though she was grateful for the subject change.

The other girl caught on quickly. Her dark eyes gleamed in anticipation. "Oh," Nakao said, pointing at Maria with her index finger. "Could you be talking about…?"

A smirk appeared on the blonde girl's face. Anzu was still very lost as the other two shared mischievous grins.

"Yes," Maria said seriously, hitting her fist to the palm of her other hand, as if to say, "Eureka!" She laughed at Anzu's obvious cluelessness. "Silly girl, this is the month all of us are waiting for!" She poked the girl's sleeve demurely. "Guess!"

"Unnn…" Anzu trailed off, her mind awhirl. She hated when people asked her to guess. She was bad at that sort of thing. "Sorry," she apologized sheepishly. "I'm too dumb…"

Nakao laughed, and Anzu blushed in humiliation. "Aww, come on. It's so easy. Think about it." She glanced at the pondering Maria for help. "How 'bout a hint?" she prompted.

Maria's emerald eyes flashed open. "Okay," she said gravely, and Anzu was paralyzed with fright. "What color do you think of when you hear the word, 'February'?"

She was surprised. "Hn? Color?" She scrunched up her nose in thought. "Uhh.."

The blonde girl's bottom lip jutted out in a pout. "Too slow!" she roared.

Anzu covered her head with her arms. "Eeek! I'm sorry!"

Maria looked upset. "The answer is red. RED!"

Nakao laughed, amusement written all over her face. Anzu tilted her head in thought.

"Red, red, huh?" she mumbled to herself, her hand cradling her chin.

After a few moments of severe brain racking, an idea hit her.

"Huh?" she exclaimed, and Maria and Nakao roared with laughter. Though they were loud, the bell hadn't rung yet, and their noise was drowned out by the others. "Wait, you were talking about that day..?"

Maria laughed loudly. "Pffft.. yes, Valentine's Day!" she shrieked happily. "It's especially great at Alice Gakuen."

Nakao giggled into her palm, laughing at Maria's unusual unlady-like behavior. "Ah, here we go," she said, grinning at Anzu's shocked expression. "When it comes to love, Maria goes berserk!"

"Ah, shut up!" crooned the blonde girl. "I'm just a girl. Isn't it healthy to be like this?" Maria laughed happily.

_Valentine's Day! _The thought rippled in Anzu's mind. She sat on the seat, thinking. _I didn't hear about it from Okaa-san or Otou-san… W-why not?_

"Um," she said abruptly, "what's so special about Valentine's Day here?"

Nakao edged away from Maria, who was experiencing a heart-throbbing fantasy. "The chocolates are special," she said with a smile. Her eyes flickered over to the boys on the other side of the room, who were deep in their own conversations. "They're all scared to accept them."

"Eh!" Anzu exclaimed, shocked. "W-why?" _Is there such a thing as choco-phobia?_

Nakao laughed as if she had read Anzu's mind. "The girls put… different ingredients in there. To make crazy effects…" She grinned deviously. "Like growing more limbs, or something unusual or fun."

Anzu looked horrified. "Fun!" she exclaimed. "Poor boys… sounds like torture!" She gnawed on her nails in anxiety, as if she were going to experience the same trauma as them.

Nakao laughed. "It's great! Don't be like that. Anyways, you want to make sweets with us? We still haven't decided what we're going to put in there, so—"

"Aaah!" Maria interrupted, broken out of her heart-filled daydream. "Yes, Anzu-chan, make some with us! You look like you'd be good with sweets. Wanna come?"

Anzu shook her head furiously, her hands waving in front of her face in refusal. "N-no, I can't!" she burst. "I mean—I'm good with baking, but…"

Maria looked hurt. "No?" She looked stern. "Why?" she demanded.

Anzu sweatdropped. "It's cuz I always burn the chocolate… I gave up a while ago trying to make them. I ended up crying… Otou-san whupped my butt with a ladle for making a mess in the kitchen." She winced, as if re-experiencing the forgotten pain.

Maria and Nakao looked disappointed. "Why don't you try making chocolate cookies?" the blonde girl asked hopefully. "Maybe…?"

Anzu shook her head. "Nope," she said sadly. "I've tried that. It burns too." She laughed optimistically. "Maybe I'm not meant to express my love…"

Maria shrieked, and her hand whipped toward her gaping mouth. "Wha! Don't say that!" She looked horrified. "No, no, no! Do you want me to help you?" she asked, her eyes pleading along with her voice.

Nakao laughed at her flailing best friend. "See? It's true, she's always like this about love.." She grinned when Maria glared at her angrily.

"Okay!" she declared, whipping her finger at a stunned Anzu. "I'm going to tie you up and drag you into the home ec room even if you fight it!" She smiled confidently. "I'm strong, so I don't think you'll be able to escape."

Nakao flinched. "She's scary when she's mad," she whispered to Anzu. "One time…"

Maria interrupted, but she wasn't angry. She was bubbling with excitement.

"Y-you know who I'm going to make chocolates for?" she whispered, barely keeping her voice down.

"Who?" Anzu asked curiously.

The blonde girl swooned, her cheeks flushed pink. "Oh, you've taken my heart…" she said dreamily. She didn't seem to hear the question.

Anzu was somewhat put out when Maria ignored her. Nakao laughed, and leaned toward her ear.

"It's probably Axel, over there. She's liked him for a looooong time." She withdrew back, then tilted her head. "You know him, right? But I haven't seen you talk to him…"

"Uh," Anzu said, sweatdropping. She and Axel had only exchanged a few "good morning"s since their first meeting outside. It was always because he was surrounded by screaming girls... "Yeah, I know him." Curiosity swept over her. "Do you know him well?" _You called him by his first name…_

"Oh," Nakao said, looking slightly surprised. Her mouth formed a perfect O. "Ah, sorry, you don't know. He used to be my neighbor when I was younger. We came here a year apart from each other."

"Ah," Anzu said, fascinated. "Cool…" _Wonder if she knows about his violin…?_

The other girl smiled in nostalgia. "It was really fun back then. So happy and exploring new things together… It was really great." She grinned. "You know that feeling? Like you'll go through lots of things and to places with your friend…"

Anzu closed her eyes. It was faint, but she could feel joy coming from the girl next to her. It was that strong, and she herself wasn't even an empath. "Yep," she said. "I know that feeling."

"Really?" Nakao smiled happily. "Nice feeling, huh? Makes you warm inside…"

"So," Anzu prompted, "are you gonna give chocolates to Axel?"

The other girl laughed. "I knew you were going to ask that." She sighed. "I'll make giri (obligation) chocolate for him. He probably won't eat it, but I'm happy if he just accepts it."

Anzu's dark eyebrows knit together. "He doesn't eat the chocolate he gets?" _What a waste!_

"Oh, no," Nakao laughed. "That's not what I meant… He gets too many, so he doesn't eat any of them," she explained. "He's a strange guy."

"Ohhh," Anzu moaned. "He's dumping all the girls' feelings away… so sad…"

Maria pouted, listening in on their conversation. "I'm gonna do it this year!" she said fiercely with her fist in the air. "I'll feed the truffle to him by hand if I have to!" Her eyes gleamed menacingly. "Yeah! So he'll finally know my feelings…" When she said _feelings, _she got all weird and giggly again.

Nakao sweatdropped, then turned to Anzu again. "Well, what're you gonna do? You can't make any sweets…"

Anzu laughed, her hand swatting at the air. "Oh, that's easy. I'm going to write musical pieces for everyone."

"Woah, music? So that's your Alice…"

"Yep, it'll be fun! You'll get one, and Maria-chan, and Axel…" She looked dubious for the last ones. "Maiko-chan and Hoshino-kun too.." Anzu pouted. Her cousins both offered odd comments on her gifts.

"Wait, how'll you give them music?"

"Ah, it'll be put into a music box. Central Town has them, right? I saw it last week, I think."

"Oh, that's smart. Cool. Then I guess I'll be waiting? Ahaha."

Anzu smiled. "Can't wait! You'll love it."

* * *

She stood in the middle of the hallway, peering at each face intently. "Nope, sorry!" she said to each person she surprised. "Wrong person!"

Anzu frowned and felt uneasy among all the students that flowed around her in the corridor. But when she spotted a head of black hair, she jumped up in excitement.

_Wow, at a time when he's free! It's my lucky day!_

Anzu bounced up to the boy with black hair and chirped, "Hey, Axel!"

He stepped back, surprise flickering on his handsome face. As always, his right eye was covered by his pitch black bangs. His left eye was a stormy gray and opened up wide.

"Oh, it's you," he laughed. He looked relieved, probably thinking she was another clingy girl. "Whew, we finally get to talk. So, what's up?"

She grinned. Axel was so nice. Not to mention very nice to look at. "Well, for Valentine's Day…" she began.

He flinched. "Oh, no!" he moaned. "Not you too? Chocolates here are dangerous!"

Anzu looked hurt. "No, I can't make chocolates. But I'm making music for everyone." She smiled brightly. "So… I was wondering what kind of music you'd like."

He tilted his head in confusion. "What do you mean? Like, classical?"

"Um… it's going to be classical anyway, but okay. I mean, what theme do you want? Sad, happy…"

Axel pondered for a while. "Happy, and a bit sad… Those are the best kinds of music. Bittersweet."

Anzu looked astonished. "Yeah, that's what I think too. Wow, we both think the same, huh?" She laughed at his baffled expression. "Cool! I know what to make already. I've been working on this piece for a while.. You'll be the first to hear it!"

Axel grinned. "Wow, I feel so special. Thanks, Anzu!" He then tilted his head toward the end of the corridor. "Say, would you like to sit with me at lunch? If we run for it, the girls won't come…"

She snickered behind her hand. "Well, well, Mr. Popular! Alright, since you asked me so nicely. Let's go!"

They shared a few laughs and stories on their way to the busy cafeteria.

* * *

Anzu bit down on her apple when a thought occurred to her. Curiosity had been dampened for a while, but it was overwhelming when she was sitting across from him at the lunch table.

"Say," she said suddenly, and Axel glanced up as he put the rim of a water bottle to his pale pink lips, "what is your Alice?"

Axel nearly dumped the bottle's liquid contents on his lap. He hurriedly dropped it on his tray and capped it before it could tip over. "Uhh…" he said hesitantly. His gray eye was wide. "Um… no."

She raised an eyebrow. "_No_?" she said. "No what?"

He dropped his eyes from her inquiring stare. "I—I don't want to tell you. It's so…" He made a face. "Nope, can't tell you."

"Aww," Anzu whined. "Come on! _Please_? Ever since your sis told me you didn't like it, I didn't ask at all…"

Axel looked horrified. "She didn't tell you what it was, right?"

"No, but…"

He sighed in complete relief. "Ah, good.."

She gathered her strength and looked determined. "So… you won't tell me."

"That's right," he said curtly. He turned away nervously, examining a poster on the wall with feigned interest.

"Can I guess?" she asked hopefully, her eyes shining with new light. "Even though I'm pretty bad at guessing."

Axel looked offended. "No! If you find out…" he trailed off, shivering. "Agh, ew… I hate my ability."

Anzu pouted. "But it's your Alice… isn't it useful? You should like it, right?"

He shook his head fervently. "No… way! It's only useful for one thing. It's weird. My own Alice creeps me out."

She gasped, and leaned forward eagerly. "Woaaah! It's not one of those _different _ones, is it? Like a fart that makes people faint…"

Axel's eye widened. "Ugh, it's not nasty in that way. It's a different kind of gross." He shuddered. "Let's stop talking about this…"

She looked disappointed, and took another bite out of her red apple. "Aww, why not? I'll keep it a secret… does anyone else know?"

He looked dubious and reluctant to answer. "Everyone knows."

"Whaaaat!" she exploded angrily. Several students dropped their conversations and turned to stare at her. "Why can't I know then?"

Axel twisted off the blue cap of the water bottle and took a quick swig. "Because," he said after being refreshed, "you'll laugh…"

She held up a hand for him to stop. "Woah, woah," she said slowly. "I'm not gonna laugh, you know. It'll be fine, right?" Anzu flashed a grin. "Even if it's one of those crazy, cheesy ones, I won't laugh."

His dark brows knit in worry. "Uh-huh. Whatever you say."

"When will you tell me?"

"Oh, so I'm telling you now?"

"Yep! When?"

"…"

"You'll tell me, right? _Please_, Axel? I promise not to even giggle."

"…Okay, fine."

"Wow! Thanks so much! So, so, when?"

"After you give me the music you wrote."

"Ooh, so it's Valentine's Day? Ahh, I'm so excited! Maybe I'll just finish it tonight so you can tell me tomorrow…"

"No! I mean—just wait for Valentine's Day."

"Ahaha, you're mean. Alright."

Anzu and Axel both got up from their seats and went to scrape food from their dishes. They waited in a short line to a cut-out window with a robot inside, and handed their dishes and trays. The robot thanked them and they trotted out of the cafeteria.

"Ahh, can't wait…"

Axel looked upset. "Geez, stop talking about it already!"

Anzu pouted defiantly. "Fine, fine."

* * *

Later… in the evening

The sky began to glow with a dazzling array of colors: like watercolor paint, hues of red, orange, pinks, and light violets were streaked and blended together in the sky to create a spectacle of harmony. Anzu smiled and stretched her arms over her head. Though it was sad, she was glad to see some grass poke out from under the leftover bits of slush on the lawn. Spring was coming soon, and that was when lots of new things happened: graduating and going into the next grade, meeting new people, sakura blossom viewing… Anzu felt melancholy, having thought about her parents. They wouldn't be able to continue on with their tradition of seeing the small, delicate pink flowers together…

She sighed sadly, and kicked a rock on the sidewalk on her way back to the dorm. Maiko was probably waiting for her with an angry expression on her face. Anzu'd open the door, and Maiko would have her arms crossed and look lusty for blood…

_"I'm hungry," _she would demand. _"Why didn't you wake me up, dummy? There's no more dinner now! You'll pay…"_

Anzu flinched, and the rock clattered onto the black tar road. "Urgh, Maiko-chan…" she mumbled in apology. "Sorry, sorry…"

A sudden prickling at the back of her neck made her glance up. She was about to see someone she hated, and she knew. Anzu froze when she spotted a boy leaning casually on the trunk of the tree, his shoes sinking slightly in the mud.

"N-Naruse-kun!" she shouted, completely caught off guard. "You scared me, geez! I—"

He didn't glance up, and his arms were still crossed on his chest. His dark chestnut hair hung over his face, covering his expression. The dark ringlet around his neck looked normal, like it was some bizarre fashion statement and not a "choker".

"Un? Naruse-kun?" she asked, her curiosity peaked, and crept forward. Anzu didn't know why, but she was drawn to his still figure. Which was completely odd, because when they were in the classroom together, she felt a natural aversion to his presence. Anzu could definitely make out his aura among the other students. He was… different, she would say.

She got up _real _close and personal. "Um, hello?" she said warily, eyeing him two feet away. "Gee, say something… oh? What's this?"

His chest moved a bit, and she realized that he was breathing evenly. Then she began to piece everything together.

_He's… sleeping? _she thought incredulously, then bashed herself. _Silly me, 'course he's got to sleep. He's human, after all._

Anzu had never really considered him equally though. She thought of him as more of an animal. A wild beast that snarled, fending off other animals who trespassed on his territory.

_But, _she thought while sweeping his bangs back, and staring at his closed eyes, _seeing him like this is kinda… cool. He's actually kind of cute…_

Anzu froze on the spot, and removed her hand from his warm cheek. She glanced around for any students that just might happen to see her or have a mind-reading Alice.

No one. She sighed in relief, and stepped back a pace.

_Whew, that was close. _She laughed nervously, but continued to stare at him. After a while, she smiled again.

"I think we can still be friends, don't you think?" she laughed brightly. Moments later, she began to walk back to the sidewalk. "Yeah, we can definitely be friends. You're interesting."

Anzu's feet touched the cement, and she glanced at Naruse's sleeping figure. She thought it was amusing that he had the strength to keep himself standing and keep from falling in the mud, even when sleeping. She laughed.

"See ya!"

Then she hurried down the sidewalk, thinking about the harsh punishment she would get from Maiko.

Naruse woke up moments later, in confusion. He glanced at the sky and was surprised to see that it was an inky black and blue. Stars, like diamonds, studded across the night sky and twinkled brightly. He looked up in wonder and ran a hand through his hair.

Unexpectedly, he had felt exhausted, and staggered to the tree he was leaning on now. It was before dinner then, but obviously time had passed and it was already night fall. He had missed dinner!

_Ah, well, _he thought irritably. Thinking about it now made his stomach twist in hunger.

Naruse rubbed the knots out of his stiff neck and yawned. Sleep always escaped him at night. It was probably the sun today that made him a bit more relaxed. He skipped out on food to catch some winks…

_Damn, I guess I'll just go back to my dorm… what the?_

His skin was unusually warm, just on his cheek. Like he had been basking in the sun for hours. But Naruse knew that even if he had done that, it would still be impossible to get it to that degree. Someone had probably visited him when he was dozing.

_Was it one of those bastards…? _the boy wondered, laying his icy fingers on his warm cheek. He closed his pale blue eyes. _No… someone kind. How strange._

Naruse frowned and walked up to the sidewalk, dropping his hand to his side. With his hands in his pockets, he began to make his way over to his dorm, which was a private area for students labeled as Special.

_Why would someone like that bother with me?_ he wondered briefly. Naruse shook his head furiously. _Ugh, I'm getting too soft. Let's just go to bed for now…_

Naruse argued internally with himself as he walked along the winding sidewalk.

* * *

"M-Maiko-chan?"

Anzu crept into their dorm room, and gulped. The quiet girl was sitting on her bed, and looked absolutely ravenous. But more than that, she looked exhausted. Blue shadows were under her eyes and her lips were still cracked, the skin on them rough and jagged, like split tree bark.

Maiko swept her tongue over them. She smacked them together softly. Anzu could tell that she was dehydrated.

"Water," Maiko said tiredly.

Anzu nodded fervently and tossed her bag on the floor and jumped out of her shoes. She grabbed the empty glass from Maiko's bedside, and dashed into their bathroom.

The bathroom was small, but that didn't matter. Anzu turned the tap on and let cold water fill the glass all the way up to the brim. Water streamed over her hands as she twisted the tap again and the water stopped flowing.

She hurried back to Maiko, who waited with her arm held weakly up, and handed the glass over. Maiko downed it in one gulp and set the glass down. She sighed in satisfaction and rolled onto her back.

"Morning," she laughed feebly. Anzu could not help but feel worried. "Don't make that face. I'm fine now. Earlier… um, I was a bit strange. You can forget about it. Ahaha…"

Anzu shook her head. "No, I won't forget. It's alright. But do you feel any better?"

Maiko looked dubious. "No… idea. I'm very tired… wanna sleep. Ah, I haven't felt like this ever…"

Anzu patted her head gently. "Go to sleep then," she said soothingly.

"Mm-hm. I will," Maiko said softly, then rested her head on her pillow. Anzu rose and strode over to her side of the room and began to gather her clothes for a shower.

"Um," the quiet girl said sleepily, "you still there?" Her eyes were closed.

Anzu glanced up, and in her arms was a night gown. "Huh? Yes, I'm here."

"Can I tell you something?" she said simply. Immediately, Anzu knew it was about the dream.

"I—I think I may've talked to too many people yesterday," Maiko said drowsily. "Too many emotions felt…" Even without using her Alice, she felt emotions floating everywhere. Her abilities were strong and perceptive. Anzu had always wondered why the school decided she was a single star. She could have been a Triple, or even Special with her capabilities.

"Mm… yeah, that must've been it. I always get funny dreams when I talk to weird people…" Maiko mumbled.

Anzu felt an urge to ask a question that had been tugging at her heart. "Did you see someone unusual yesterday?"

Maiko's eyes drooped. If she didn't hurry to answer, she'd fall asleep and forget their conversation by tomorrow. "Unusual?" she repeated. "Unusual… huh. Oh." Her sleepy voice was colored with something along the lines of realization.

Anzu felt her skin prickle. "So you met someone?" she asked in a hushed voice.

Maiko nodded slowly. "Unnnn… yup. She was youngish… maybe late twenties. Hm.. very pretty, I remember."

"Was she one of the teachers?"

Maiko looked vexed, and thought for a while. "Hm… no, actually." She even sounded surprised at herself.

Anzu decided to press on further. She needed this information. "What was her name? Who was she? How did she get into the campus? Did anyone else speak with her? Who else was with you?" A million other questions poured out, and Maiko looked very bewildered.

"What…? Sorry, I think I lost it. I'm so stupid… what happened to me?" She sighed and closed her eyes. "I'll feel better tomorrow. Good night."

Anzu felt her heart drop to the pit of her stomach. "Sweet dreams," she whispered.

* * *

**Comment: **This is only the top layer of foreshadowing. Just the beginning of the end of innocence. You could also call it the first layer of the onion, as the Puss (or is it just Cat?) in Boots would say (lol!).

Next chapter will be a bit lighter. Look forward to it!


	6. Nocturne and Mystic

Nocturne and Mystic

The next day, Maiko seemed to have recovered. But even then, she could not fully remember the person she had met somewhere in the campus.

Maiko's blue topaz eyes were troubled. "I'm sorry," she said sadly, her eyes downcast. "I can't remember…"

Anzu shook her head furiously, and held up a hand. "It's fine… but you're sure you don't remember what she looks like?"

The quiet girl looked thoughtful as she speared a piece of fruit from her breakfast bowl and popped it into her mouth. As she bit down, some clear juice started to dribble down her chin. "She might've had brown hair," she said distantly as she wiped her mouth on a paper napkin. Her eyes glanced upward at the ceiling. "No, I'm sure of it.. Definitely brown."

Anzu leaned forward across the white linen clothed table. "And was someone with you?"

Maiko closed her eyes in deep concentration. After a while, she answered, "No, I don't think so…" She opened her eyes. "I was by myself. I was outside, I think…"

"Do you remember where?"

She shook her head, and Anzu was disappointed.

"Well, what was so… _funny_ about her?" she asked, her hands clenching in worry.

The quiet girl pondered for a while, then her almond eyes stared directly into Anzu's. Like she had become transparent. "The feeling was so strong, it almost knocked me over," she said slowly.

_Could this finally be a lead?_ Anzu asked herself while she waited for Maiko as she thought.

Maiko closed her eyes, and her face paled a bit. "It was the kind of feeling I could never forget. It was horrible…" Her lips trembled as she delivered the words. "The woman on the outside looked calm, and I think she even smiled at me. But inside, inside she was so mad… The anger scared me. It was like… she was looking for prey. And," she said, her eyes looking grave, "I think she had a blade."

Anzu could feel the sweat on her palms as she sat across from Maiko. The noise around them just washed over, and the laughter from the other students contrasted oddly with their strange conversation. They seemed to be the only ones not smiling.

Her stomach twisted uneasily. She imagined a fully grown woman, smiling prettily, but with one hand around a knife, concealed by a pocket in her jacket….

"Did she hurt you?" she asked in a hushed voice.

Maiko shook her head furiously. Her eyes looked even clearer. "No, she just… I remember something. I think she asked me if I liked this place." Her elegant dark eyebrows turned downward. "I said that it was pretty cool. And she freaked out…"

Anzu looked stunned. "What did she do?"

Maiko frowned. "She knocked me to the ground. And I blacked out… My head was pounding when I woke up. I think only a few minutes passed, but I couldn't concentrate at all… Then I went to our next class."

The other girl's hand flew to her mouth in sudden realization. "Th-that was when you went out early after lunch, wasn't it?" Anzu stared at her knuckles, which had gone white as she had been clenching them for too long. The skin on the back of her hands was stretched tight over her bones.

_Why didn't I go with her?_ She began to cry. _Stupid, stupid, stupid! Maybe if I was there…_

"No," Maiko said softly, "she would've done the same if there were two of us." She smiled reassuringly. "Don't make that face, Anzu. Always smile. My Okaa-san says that to everybody."

Anzu wiped her damp eyes. "M'kay."

The quiet girl patted her head gently, and as comforting as a mother. "You worry too much. You don't even worry about yourself." She frowned. "That's what worries _me_."

Anzu tried to make a smile, but it resulted in a slight twitch of her mouth. "Sorry…"

Maiko then pushed herself out of her chair with a scrape. "Come on," she said with a small smile. "Let's go see Narumi-sensei."

They both cleaned off their plates into a trash can, and handed them to a robot. Soon, Hoshino joined them as they left the cafeteria, and Anzu flinched when the siblings exchanged prickly words.

"Geez, sis, are you okay?" the boy demanded. His cerulean blue eyes were narrow with anger. "I was so worried yesterday! You weren't there, at our meeting place! And not in any of the classes…"

Anzu and Maiko glanced at each other knowingly. "Hmph," Maiko said standoffishly. "If you must know… I was playing hooky. So sorry."

Hoshino exploded. "Whaaat! Don't play dumb! Tell me the truth!" His face turned the ultimate shade of purplish red as he flailed his arms in the air. "You're fine, right?"

They exchanged heated words, and did Maiko just wave her fist threateningly? Anzu giggled as they headed to Class A.

_Everyone's okay, _she thought with a sigh of relief.

* * *

The three of them trotted into the classroom quietly.

"M-morning," Anzu said, her clear voice resounding in the spacious room.

Maiko smiled. "Hey," she said to a charging teary Maria and following behind was Nakao.

Hoshino said nothing, as he had been hit on the head multiple times by his sister in the hallway.

Maria's face was a blotchy red and streaked with tears. She gave a running hug to Maiko, but was stopped when the calm girl held her away by her face. Nakao and Anzu looked blank on the sidelines. Hoshino ignored the loud spectacle at the back of the room and went to sit with his friends.

"Ah, I kind of expected this," Maiko said with distaste as she looked away from Maria.

Maria floundered her arms around, splashing tears all over Maiko's white shirt. "Uwah!" she wailed. "Where were you? I was so worried!"

_Whack!_

"Ouch," the teary blonde complained, both hands clutching her nose. "That was mean. But you seem fine." A dark look flitted across her face. "Um, you know? Me and Nakao saw—"

"Hey, we agreed not to talk about that," the calm girl with the pixie cut said. "Remember?"

Maria looked surprised. "That's right. Whoops!"

Maiko looked thoughtful, her index finger pressed against her lips. "Hey, just curious, but," she said. "What day is today?"

The blonde tilted her head in confusion. "February 3rd. Why?"

Maiko was quiet. "So, eleven more days 'til Valentine's, huh?" she mumbled to herself.

Anzu piped up, "Um, you know, Valentine's Day is—"

"Yeah, they're crazy, right?" Maiko interrupted. "The chocolates."

The girl with hazel eyes showed surprise on her face. "How did you know?"

Maiko sighed as if it were obvious. "Okaa-san told me."

"Wha…" Anzu crumpled to the floor gloomily like a rag doll. "My parents didn't tell me…"

"What're you doing, Anzu-chan?" asked Maria with a quizzical expression." The floor's dusty."

Anzu sprung back up on her feet, looking sheepish. "Ahaha… Is Maiko-chan making chocolate for a boy?"

Maiko looked vacant as she coughed into her fist. "If you count Hoshino, that is."

Maria was mortified. "Th-that's not good!" she wailed. "Making a honmei chocolate and giving it to someone special…" She whimpered when Maiko threatened her with a heavy textbook.

"Not interested," Maiko said calmly. "Besides, we're only eight or nine-ish."

"Why..?" the blonde shrieked, hurt distorting her features.

Maria exploded into a passion-filled lecture, and Maiko endured it in strong silence, leaning backward as Maria advanced toward her menacingly. Anzu and Nakao stood out of the way, watching the spectacle with nervous laughter.

"They're gonna be at it for a while," Nakao said with amusement.

Anzu sweatdropped. She felt a pang of sympathy for Maiko. "Yeah."

"Anyway," Nakao said with a kinder tone coloring her voice, "you talked to Axel yesterday, didn't you?" She looked distantly towards the front of the room, where the boy sat, but Anzu's eyes could only see a swarm of chattering students and no black-haired boy.

"Will you talk to him today?" Nakao asked, her dark eyes shining with hope.

Anzu looked perplexed. "Huh? But, there's too many people around him…" _He's so popular._

The girl next to her smiled a small smile. "He already thinks of you as a friend. So just go on over."

"Uh, but…" Anzu said hesitantly. "Last time you said that we don't even talk that much…"

Nakao began to giggle, her hand concealing her mouth. "I spied on you guys during lunch yesterday." A wide, bright smile crept into her delicate face. "Sorry."

_E-evil grin…? _

"Anyway," Nakao laughed at Anzu's wide-eyed expression, "just go!" She pushed her gently towards the front, and she stumbled several paces down the aisle. She could hear loud laughter near by. Anzu glanced at Nakao fearfully, but the girl just encouraged her with a smile.

_Okay, I'm gonna do it, _she thought determinedly, trying to look presentable as she edged closer to the large group.

Through a small gap in between two boys, Anzu could see a black-haired boy sitting in the middle of the circle. A boy and a girl sat on either side of him, firing off questions. Axel looked exasperated when the girl asked:

"Namikawa-kun, do you have plans for Valentine's Day?"

"Um… no."

The group of students, filled with both guys and girls rippled with warm words and laughter. The smiles on their faces seemed to make them glow. Jokes were casually thrown in the air, followed by snort-ripping chuckles.

_Woah, _Anzu thought, shrinking back from the circle of friends. _They're all sparkling like stars…_

A boy with spiky sandy blonde hair leaned toward Axel, who appeared to be ignoring everyone. "Axel," he laughed. "Let's team up in PE later! We'll PWN everyone in basketball."

A girl with braids chirped, "Who do you like? Everyone wants to know!" A loud cheer rippled through the group. Raucous laughter followed.

Anzu pretended to shield her eyes, squinting. _Too bright… _she thought wearily. _Can't keep up._

A wry smile formed on her lips when Axel sighed deeply. He propped himself up with his hand on his cheek and his elbow on the table.

_Axel's cool with boys and girls, huh? Though Hoshino-kun is an exception, that jerk._

The black haired boy sighed again, and glanced around warily. His left eye met Anzu's.

"Oh," he said abruptly, and everyone in the group followed his gaze and turned to look at the girl pacing behind them. "Anzu?" Axel said, looking happily surprised. "What's up? Sit down."

Anzu felt herself shrink back. "Ah, um…" she said, a little shy. A girl grinned and moved over from Axel's side.

"Ooh, sit here!" she giggled, tossing Anzu gently in her spot. Anzu squeaked and was sitting next to the amused black-haired boy.

He laughed at her waif-like shyness. "They're always like this," he said, then frowned as he wondered if that was a good thing.

The blonde boy on Axel's other side leaned toward her. His eyes were like perfect pieces of jade. "Are you a friend of Axel's?" he asked with a cheerful grin.

Anzu smiled and looked down at her lap. "Eheheh…. Yes."

A round of laughter went through the group. She had felt strange peering at them from behind, when their backs were to her, but now that she was in the middle of the circle, she basked in golden light created by their smiles and laughed whole-heartedly with their airy jokes.

_Wow, everyone's so nice, _she marveled, waving shyly at one of the students and was delighted when they returned the favor. _I thought they'd be mean since I'm a girl, but…_

"Okay," said a boy with a serious face. "This is the real deal. It was pitch black. A girl was walking on a path with just an oil-lit lamp in her hand. A sound…."

A girl next to the boy laughed and smacked him in the arm. "Isn't it too early for ghost stories, Seito?"

The boy named Seito raised an eyebrow. "Never!" he laughed. His tone became serious again, as if the story were somehow crucial to their dreary lives. "The girl heard a twig snap behind her. She was about to scream when a dark figure placed a hand over her mouth…"

He continued on with his story, giving everyone in the group a round of goose bumps. But in the end, there was a comical twist, and everyone roared with laughter.

_The front of Class A is loud and warm, _Anzu thought with a giggle. "Ahaha," she said into her hand, stifling her laughter. "That's hilarious!"

Next to her, Axel smirked. "Pfft, um, I think I laughed too much. What was the punch line again?"

"Nice!" shouted one of the students. "Good going, Seito! Axel looks better already."

"Thanks, thanks. I appreciate it."

Anzu pressed her other hand to her mouth, preventing the rest of her laughs from escaping. "So it wasn't a horror story, but a comedy?"

Axel snickered. "I guess so."

She peered at everyone's smiling faces. Now they were turned to each other and sharing ghost stories of their own.

_It's got such a different feeling from our little corner…_

Axel glanced at her and smiled. "Anzu?" he said, raising an eyebrow. "Why don't you tell your friends to come over here?"

Anzu looked astonished. "I—I can do that?" she exclaimed jubilantly. "Wow, okay.."

"'Wow,' she says!" laughed one of the girls.

Anzu glanced back toward the corner of the room, and spotted Maiko's blue topaz eyes on her. She wanted to wave, but Maiko just smiled prettily (was she always that pretty?) and tilted her head at the other two girls.

"Good for you, Anzu," said a voice behind her. "But I won't join you."

It was the blonde boy. Anzu spun around in her seat with a squeak. She hadn't noticed before, but a part of his bangs were held back by two bobby pins with cute insignias on them. On his left ear were two piercings. His wrist sported a trendy black jogging band. He grinned and held up a finger to make a point. "That's what she's thinking, anyway."

"Oh, mind-reader?" she said in surprise. He had really startled her.

He jabbed a thumb at himself and smirked confidently. "I'm Suzuki. Nice to meet you," he said. "I'm one of Axel's friends. But who isn't?"

_His style's good, _she thought, looking the ostentatious boy up and down. _Punk-cute, is it?_

Suzuki laughed, and Anzu was embarrassed. "Haha, I heard that. Thanks." Then he frowned. "Oh, by the way… Your other friends." He coughed awkwardly into his fist.

"Eh?" Anzu said, glancing at the back of the room, not knowing what to expect. But what she saw made her pupils contract to mere pinpricks.

Maria was staring at her, her eyes full of tears and stars. Her bottom lip was jutted out, and she sobbed when she noticed Anzu's eyes on her. She was doing a puppy-dog impression!

Beside her, Nakao looked exasperated. Her dark eyes were weary.

"Maria-chan looks pretty desperate," said Suzuki with a dead laugh. Then they both watched as Maiko reached over and pulled Maria's cheek, ruining her puppy pout.

"Agh!" Anzu could hear Maria all the way from the front. Maiko tugged on her cheek, her eyes ablaze as if to say, "Shut up, stupid." Next to them, Nakao sighed in deep relief.

The blonde boy next to Anzu laughed while sweatdropping. "Ah, rotten luck, huh?" he said with sympathy. "They won't come over…"

Anzu blushed. _They're so embarrassing!_

"That Nogi girl is pretty scary," Suzuki commented with a chuckle. "Keeping them in line… Anyway, ask someone else to come over!"

"Someone else," she sighed sadly. She began to glance around the classroom. _Hoshino-kun doesn't like Axel… who else do I know?_

Her eyes landed on a boy, who sat by himself in the back. In front of him was a thick book.

_He's reading? How boring…! _Anzu thought in dismay. _And_ what_ is he reading? Looks like a text book!_

Hurriedly, she slid from the ledge and stood up. She began to walk away, but Suzuki heard her thoughts and grasped her hand tightly.

"You can't bring him here," he said with a frown. Anzu glanced at him in confusion. His light green eyes were clear as day.

_Is he joking, or serious?_

Suzuki glared at her. "I _am_ serious."

"But," Anzu protested, tugging at her hand, but he wouldn't let go. "What if I can convince him?"

He shook his head furiously. "That's not the problem," he sighed. "He doesn't _trust _people."

She pursed her lips in frustration. "I—" She jerked her hand away and walked quickly to the boy in the back. "I'm going to go convince him!"

Suzuki looked alarmed, and tried to nab her hand back, but she was too quick. "Anzu-chan, don't!"

* * *

Naruse tilted his head, annoyed. "Get out of my face," he said coolly. "I said I don't want to go."

Anzu was frustrated, her fists balled up at her sides. _It's no use, _she thought, and contemplated giving up. _Why is he reading this thing? _By "thing," she meant the heavy text book Naruse held in front of him. Was he aware that he was reading about Julius Caesar?

"Look," she said, infuriated, with her breath coming out in one long exasperated hiss. "Everyone's having fun over there. Come on."

He sighed and looked away. "Dammit, people need to leave me to my business." He made a strange movement, then said, "Leave. I'll stab you if you don't."

_Did he just flinch?_

"You…" she began, not having heard his threat, and he looked stunned. "You don't sleep well at night, right?"

"Huh?" A puzzled look flitted across his face. His slender dark brows slanted downward. "Wait… what?" He didn't know what to make of the comment.

She laughed at his surprise. "Ehehe. Yup, I know just what to do now."

"…?" Naruse didn't know if it was the right time to scowl.

She began to walk away, then turned to him again. Her skirt twirled from her sudden movement. "You won't join us now," she said with an optimistic laugh. "Maybe not until next year, but…" Anzu giggled and beamed at him. "Let's be friends!" she chirped happily.

_Naruse-kun works hard. Is that why I saw him while asleep yesterday?_

Anzu grinned at his blank expression. _I finally said it! _She smiled again and bid him farewell with a V-sign (peace sign). "See ya!"

Then she tumbled back to Axel, whose forehead was wrinkled with worry lines.

"Geez!" he exclaimed, his hands clamped down on the table, white with tension. "Why'd you leave so suddenly? And you even talked to Naruse, to top it all off…"

She laughed easily. "Ahaha, what?" Anzu grinned. "He's a nice guy."

_I love to see people smile._

"It's true!" she laughed, noting Axel's dubious expression. "He's nice, I'm telling you!"

Naruse glanced at them at the head of the room in frustrated confusion. Then he went back to his history book.

_Naruse-kun, who's made up of tough words._

Anzu waved Axel's argued words away with her hand.

"What are you talking about, Anzu?" he sputtered, looking shocked. "You do know him, right…?"

She grinned happily. "Not yet."

_I want to know more about him._

* * *

The next day, Anzu stretched her arms high above her head with a yawn. The sky was blue, streaked with oranges and yellows. Overhead, several wild geese flew by, honking faintly in their V formations. Their intricate wings tilted starboard and they soared through the beyond.

Anzu ran ahead on the cobblestone road, and twirled around in her gray wool sweater dress that was for female students outside of class. She grinned and raised her arms at the old-fashioned, but cute small buildings dotting either side of the small road up ahead.

"Central Town is always so fun!" she sighed happily, waiting for everyone to catch up. When the seven of them: Anzu, Maiko, Maria, Nakao, Axel, Suzuki and Hoshino gathered together again, they continued down the road toward the buildings.

Outside were peddlers selling wares they had made with their Alices. There was a prank shop, bakery, fruit cart, and a bunch of other miscellaneous shops. Anzu twisted around, unsure of where to go. The bakery was bustling with girls who were placing their orders for Valentine's Day presents and getting pastries at the same time. Though flocks of girls came in and out of the charming shop with contented smiles on their faces, Anzu felt no inclination to squeeze herself in there.

Maiko looked amused as the raven-haired girl couldn't decide where to go first. "Do you even remember where you saw those music boxes last time?" she asked as Anzu danced up to a shop window and peered at its contents with her suede-gloved hands pressed against the glass.

"Unnn…" Anzu trailed off, looking disappointed. "Not here." She frowned and racked her brains for something. A notion, an idea, but all she wanted was to know which shop it was…

She sighed and trotted down the road toward the next shop, several meters away. Maiko followed, and they joined the three guys who lingered at the back of a long line for Howalon.

"Ooh!" Anzu squealed with excitement, peeking over several shoulders for a glimpse of the famous, fluffy white candy. She bounced up to Axel with a mischievous grin.

"Axel, Axel," she sang, prodding his ribs. Her eyes shone, and she glanced at the Howalon, then back at him to make sure her message was clear.

The handsome boy burst out laughing, then patted her head. "Does that mean you want me to buy you some?" he asked, smirking at her sparkling eyes and gaping mouth.

She nodded her head rapidly, and Suzuki chuckled and threw his arm around her shoulders. "Smart choice, milady," he said with a gleam in his eye. "Axel may not look it, but he's rich!" To prove it, he stretched out his hand to Axel to pay up. "Buy me some too!" he said seriously.

Axel looked disapproving. "No."

"Aww, stingy…"

Anzu giggled and shrugged off Suzuki's slack arm. "Thanks!" she chirped. "Actually, it'll help me. I need the sugar…" She frowned at her gloved hands. "I can't remember which shop the music boxes were at. Darn it…"

Hoshino tilted his head. "Not sure if this helps, but what did it look like? The design."

Maiko poked Anzu's shoulder. "It was an antique, right? It looked pretty old. I mean, in a classy way."

"Oh!" she exclaimed, hitting her fist to her palm. "Wow, that was quick! It's the antique store then!" Anzu hurtled off into the distance, towing Maiko away from the line of Howalon-anticipators.

"Ah, my candy," complained Maiko, her arms outstretched, her fingers grasping around air.

"That can wait!" Anzu said excitedly. She then waved goodbye to the guys. They looked amused. "See ya soon! I need to buy some stuff!"

They both zigzagged down the road and came to an abrupt stop at an old store. The metal sign hanging on the outside said, "Mignlebee's Antiques and Things." It barely kept itself in place, and it threatened to fall at any time, as it was hanging by a thin shred of metal that refused to separate itself from the wall. Anzu pulled open the door with excitement, and pushed the reluctant Maiko in.

There was a pleasant aroma of spicy cinnamon in the air, but it quickly vanished and was replaced by the smell of dust. A woman with silvery, wispy hair and laugh lines around her eyes smiled at them from a table of walking picture frames. In her hand was a feather duster, and she appeared to be dusting the dirt off the frames, but they never failed to dodge her reach, stumbling along the mahogany wood table as her hand chased them.

"Ah, welcome," she said breathlessly, wiping the sweat from her brow with a clean handkerchief. She glided over to the pair, giving up on cleaning the picture frames, and wiped her hands on her spotless white apron. "Here to browse?"

Anzu flashed a bright smile at the friendly older woman. "Actually," she said, "I'm here to buy those music boxes you have."

Recognition flickered on the woman's face. She peered closer at the girls to have a good look at them. "Oh yes, you're the two from before!" she laughed delightedly. "I wasn't sure if you were coming back to get them. Usually people say they'll buy something and won't come back." She smiled, her whisper-light hair falling around her wizened cheeks. "Yes, yes, follow me."

The elderly woman busily headed to the back, humming a mysterious tune, and the girls followed. They passed by an odd assortment of dusty and unused trinkets: teapots that complained in voices that sounded like the clinking of china that they had no tea, grandfather clocks that had eyes and glared at the other antiques (and at other customers), jeweled brooches that gleamed like wishing stars even without light, and old journals that screamed their contents when they were opened (which Anzu experienced during her first visit. A frightening discovery.).

They came to a halt before a window with soft morning light pouring in, illuminating the things in the small room. In the corner was a large wooden showcase cabinet. On the inside at the back of the cabinet were mirrors, so Anzu and Maiko could see their reflections, along with the reflections of the small, wooden boxes resting on one shelf.

"Would you like me to take them out for you?" asked the elderly woman. Before she could answer, however, the entrance door opened, and the little bell sounded with a clang.

"Um… anyone here?" came a male student's voice. He sounded like he was in his teens.

"Ah, pardon me," said the woman, and she bustled off to help the new customer. "Take your time, you two."

Anzu and Maiko gazed at the beautiful music boxes. They were spotless, and were carefully crafted to impress. The wooden edges had been buffed down, and there was an elegant curve on each box's ridges. They were rosewood, and were lovingly etched with designs of flowers, the ocean, animals, and dancing people. Anzu carefully opened the cabinet door with a gentle tug on the metal handle, and reached out to touch a music box.

She cradled one in her hand and lifted its small lid. The inside was lined with sapphire colored velvet. A small metal piece, and it looked like an amulet, was inset in the center. Anzu smiled and handed it to Maiko.

"It's so pretty!" she said in a whisper, unconsciously having lowered her voice.

Maiko smiled and nodded, taking the box and stroked the velvet inside with a light touch of her finger. This particular one was carved with a dancing couple.

Anzu smiled triumphantly and pointed at the box in the other girl's hands. "That one will be yours, because it's just like your name," she laughed.

Maiko grinned, looking up from the box. "'Dancing girl,'" she said.

Anzu beamed, then reached in for another box. This one had a sparrow on it. The nimble, small bird was balanced on a branch of a sakura tree, its beak right next to a blooming flower.

Together, they scoured the room for a cardboard box, which was easy, as they were every where, and gently placed about a dozen music boxes inside. It was heavy, so Maiko helped Anzu carry it to the front counter, where the middle school boy was paying for a crystal paperweight that had lightning trapped in it. A dazzling white flash of light was set in the center, its brightness illuminating the room to a point where the eyes watered. The boy thanked the woman, then she to the boy, and he left. Maiko and Anzu hefted the box onto the glass counter, and the woman looked astonished.

"Oh my," she said, the crinkles around her eyes deepening. "So many? You're giving them away?"

"Yep!" Anzu chirped as she reached into her coat pocket for her small, cat face shaped wallet. "For Valentine's."

The elderly woman smiled at the two girls. "Instead of chocolate? Music is quite romantic. In my opinion, even more so than today's trends." She frowned, thinking about the old days. Valentine's Day chocolate wasn't that big of a deal then as it was now. She smiled and counted up the boxes. "Well, since you have so many, and a good reason to get them, I'll give you a special price."

"Wow!" exclaimed Anzu. She turned to Maiko with excitement. "Do you want some to give to someone?" she asked. Maiko shook her head wordlessly, with a smile. "Okay, then!" She turned to the shopkeeper with a grin. "How much then?"

The older woman gave a sly wink. "I'll let you take it for… 5000 yen (less than $50). Sound good?"

"Woah!" Anzu squeaked. She leaned forward gravely. "Y-you sure? There's so many here. It's worth hundreds, right?" Her dark eyes were wide.

The elderly woman laughed. "It's fine. I don't mind selling them for cheap." Her eyes twinkled. "My husband made them a long, long time ago. So there's no profit lost."

"Wow, thanks, Obaa-san!" Anzu took out some bills from her wallet and the two girls took up the cardboard box again. "See you later!"

Maiko smiled. "Bye."

The elderly woman waved happily as they exited from the store.

They staggered back to the boys and Maria and Nakao, hauling the heavy box. Surprise and shock all registered on their faces.

"Anzu-chan, did you have to buy so many?" Maria sniffed, staring at the inside of the box. "Looks expensive."

Anzu shook her head furiously after they set it down on the cobblestone road next to a bench. "I got them cheap from a nice old lady!" she laughed. She grinned into her gloved hands. "Now I have more than enough for everyone."

Maiko and Anzu trotted over to them and the boys started opening up the white cardstock boxes in their hands. Inside were fluffy pieces of Howalon.

"Feed me," Maiko commanded Hoshino. Without a word, he obeyed and popped one in her mouth. A smile lit up her face as it melted instantly when it touched her tongue.

"Ooh, candy!" Anzu squealed. She came up to Axel with a mischievous grin, and held out her hand. Axel laughed and handed her an entire box.

"Woooah, what's this?" she exclaimed, jumping. She hadn't expected so much. "I thought we were going to share?" Her eyes looked wide.

Axel looked surprised. "Oh, oops," he laughed. "I bought too much." In his hands was another box that was open. Even though he had refused to buy Suzuki some, he still let his friend take a handful and stuff it in his mouth.

Suzuki grinned and placed one in Anzu's gaping mouth. She clomped her mouth shut and instantly felt better. Like she was eating a cloud made of happiness…

Axel and Suzuki's eyes were wide at the face she was making. They shook with contained laughter.

"What's so funny?" she asked, puzzled.

"You're drooling," Maiko said with distaste, taking off one glove and wiping at Anzu's mouth with her thumb. "Goodness, you're such a kid."

Anzu gasped. Maiko had just sounded like Natsume or Mikan scolding her. She shook her head furiously and looked embarrassed. "Eheheh," she laughed nervously.

Maria and Nakao were sharing a box, grinning from ear to ear. Anzu ate a few more pieces and closed her box in satisfaction. "Wow, thanks Axel, so much!" She was so happy that she bounced up to him and kissed his cheek.

He froze and was surprised. Axel blushed. Everyone went still with shock at the sudden gesture.

Maiko was the only one who helped herself to more of the candy and broke up the stunned silence. "The power of Howalon," she said calmly, almost to herself.

Anzu looked confused. She didn't know where, but she learned to give kisses as thanks. She thought long and hard. Where had she learned that…? It was just first nature for her to do it. At school, back at home before coming to Alice Gakuen, she caused a lot of misunderstandings…

_Oopsie, _she thought. Anzu then laughed out loud, and everyone looked puzzled. "Alright, where do you want to go now? We still got tons of time left before the bus comes again."

Suddenly everyone was back to normal again.

"Um," said Suzuki abruptly, whipping his finger at the prank shop, "let's go there, Axel!"

Axel looked bewildered. "O-okay…" He still looked confused when Suzuki dragged him away from the others.

Maria was numb and had a blank look on her face. She didn't look mad, at least. But she looked completely vacant when Nakao punched her arm softly.

Nakao and Maiko both shared wide smiles, then looked at Anzu.

"What?" Anzu asked, a quizzical look on her face. How strangely they were acting!

The other girls laughed. "Nothing," they chorused, then headed off toward a flower shop full of flowers that gave you mysterious effects when they were sniffed.

Maria shook her head furiously and cleared her daze. She glanced at Anzu and smiled briefly. "Um… I'm going too." She ran after the other girls. "Wait up!"

Anzu stood with only Hoshino now. He looked confused, just as confused as she.

"What's wrong with them?" he asked aloud, clearly not in the know. Anzu shrugged her shoulders, but her eyes narrowed in the direction the girls went.

_Suspicious! _Anzu thought, and turned on her heel and headed down the road. "Come on, Hoshino-kun," she said wearily. "Let's go somewhere."

He followed her, his hands still holding the Howalon box. He offered to carry Anzu's box full of music boxes and two boxes of Howalon as they explored the rest of the shops, both feeling confused.

* * *

They were exhausted after a few more shops. Hoshino's feet plodded slowly behind Anzu. She spun around and squinted at him.

"You okay?" she asked concernedly. "Let's take a break."

"Um," he said with a tired smile, "you can go on ahead. You wanted to see the book shop, right?"

"Oh, that's right," she said with realization. Anzu looked uncertain to leave him. "Will you be okay by yourself?"

He laughed, and plopped himself onto a nearby bench. "I'll be fine. Go."

Anzu quickly waved and hurried down the road. An old, elegant wooden sign hung outside a shop with tinted windows. Anzu tugged the door's handle, and slipped inside.

When her feet touched the Welcome carpet, a whiff of new book smell hit her. The shop was much bigger than it was from the outside, and had been made by someone with a strange Alice.

"Hello," said a young man in his twenties. He looked comfy in sweat pants and a t-shirt. "Looking for something in particular?" He seemed like the overly helpful type.

Anzu shook her head furiously. "Nope," she said, flashing an innocent smile. "I'm going to look around for something interesting."

"Alright," he said, a little disappointed that she didn't need assistance. Definitely overly helpful. Anzu glanced around, and read the signs hanging from the ceiling, and guided herself to the poetry section. Although this section of the store was vast, only one boy stood there, reading aloud. His voice was low, but clear, and he was reciting something in a language she barely understood.

_English? _she wondered, inching toward the mysterious guy in curiosity.

*****A POEM*****

Some say the world will end in fire,

Some say in ice.

From what I've tasted of desire

I hold with those who favor fire.

But if it had to perish twice,

I think I know enough of hate

To say that for destruction ice

Is also great

And would suffice.

(Robert Frost: Fire and Ice)

The boy frowned, and pushed his glasses up on his nose. Anzu peeked over his shoulder and spoke, startling him.

"Ah, it _is_ English," she laughed. "I knew it!"

He stumbled backward, and slammed the leather book shut. "W-what're you doing here?" he sputtered.

"What?" Anzu was perplexed. "Um… do I know—Oh! So you wear glasses, too?"

Naruse glared at her frostily, and placed the poetry book back on the shelf. "They're only for reading," he said as he shuffled away with his hands in his pockets. Anzu tagged along, unaffected by his annoyance at her appearance.

"You like books?" she asked, trying to look him in the face by distracting him with small talk. But he always looked away before she could get a glimpse of his dazzling blue eyes.

"I don't," he said curtly, walking faster down an aisle full of art books. Naruse was trying to lose her, but to no avail.

Anzu looked frustrated. Like what he had said bothered her. "Then why do you always read?" she asked with a frown. "You're always carrying those big books…"

Naruse sighed in exasperation. "It's because I'm working toward an expanded knowledge of everything," he said irritably, then slipping a book of Claude Monet's artwork out of a shelf and cracking it open. He studied a photo of a painting with silent interest. Anzu peeked over his shoulder and he slammed it shut. He put it back and began to walk again. "I'm different from you and your friends," he said with his back to her. "Don't hang around me."

_What? Is that supposed to mean, "I'm way above you?" or something?_

Anzu continued to follow him, but she was annoyed. "Hey," she said angrily. "Why're you so weird around people?"

He spun around and faced her. His icy blue eyes regarded her severely.

"I don't need friends," he said simply. "I only need myself."

Naruse then walked around a shelf and headed toward the "Spirituality" section. Anzu kept up with him easily, and watched as he grabbed a book called, "Clairaudience" from the shelf. His eyes quickly scanned its contents, then he put it back, and grabbed another one that discussed tarot cards. The page he flipped to in that one had a colored picture that was labeled, "The High Priestess in the upright position." The text explained several meanings of the card.

He frowned and glared at Anzu, looking at her through his silver frame glasses. "Why are you still here?" he asked, annoyed. His eyes narrowed. "If we weren't in such a public place, I'd slice you to ribbons."

Anzu returned the steely stare. "Well, I'd…" she said, trying to sound stronger than she actually was. Naruse raised an eyebrow mockingly. "I'd kick you," she finished. Then Anzu fed more to her bravado. "In the gut? No, maybe in the area where it hurts most. Yeah, definitely." She began nodding to herself, and Naruse's mouth twitched.

"Huh" was all he said, then he got a different book off the shelf and put back the tarot one. This one was a horoscope. Naruse then began to stride to the counter, and Anzu followed, swimming in elation.

_He smiled! _she thought joyfully. Then she wasn't so sure. _Wait… he did, right?_

Naruse paid for his book at the counter, then took the bag and exited out of the book shop. Anzu trotted out after him like a puppy. He looked up at the darkening gray sky and scoffed at it.

"Hey," he said suddenly. His eyes looked murderous. "Don't tell anyone about this."

Anzu was surprised. "About what? Your books? Today? Or your glasses?"

He frowned, then whipped off the silver frames from his nose. Naruse had forgotten that he was wearing them. "All of it," he said emotionlessly. Then he walked off in the direction of the bus stop. He turned to look at Anzu.

"It's late," he said. "You should hurry to your friends." Without another word, he shuffled off. Anzu watched him disappear into a mere dot.

_Well, I just learned a lot of new things today, _she thought as she dashed back to the bench where Hoshino sat. But the bench was empty.

Anzu glanced around in a panic. "Oh man," she burst, running past the bench. "I'm so late! Maiko-chan's gonna kill me…"

She joined the group as they were stepping onto the bus. Maiko looked stern and delivered a stinging blow to her ear as punishment.

"Ouch, meanie," Anzu mumbled, gingerly touching the blotchy red area above her ear lobe. Excruciating pain sent several shocks down to her toes.

Maiko looked perturbed while rubbing the knots out of her neck. "You know how long I was waiting for you? Geez, I was worried…." Her eyes were troubled, and Anzu immediately felt a pang of guilt.

"Sorry," she said, her head bowed in shame.

Hoshino waved at her from a seat, with several boxes at his feet. "I have your stuff!" he called. "Sorry, I realized it was time to go and forgot about you…"

"Gee, thanks," Anzu said with heavy sarcasm. She slipped into a seat by the window, and Maiko sat with her by the aisle.

She sighed as the open window let in the evening air. It rushed in her face, and tendrils of her hair tickled her cheeks as it danced with the singing wind.

Anzu glanced up at the darkening sky. Twilight. The sky was streaked with a sleep inducing mixture of lavenders, violets and grays.

_Just ten days to do all my gifts, _Anzu thought, while pointing out the first star to Maiko. _Wow, I should've started earlier…_

She smiled and shrugged to herself. _Oh well. Just do it! No complaints!_

* * *

The next day, February 5th, Anzu was very productive in the Technical Abilities class. Her piano playing flowed through out the room, the only thing breaking the silence besides the occasional explosion of combined chemicals.

She squinted at the notes on her music sheet. "Ugh," she said aloud. Hoshino looked up from another failed drawing. He couldn't use his Alice with ink and pens. Even though he told Haruna this, she didn't get it.

"What's up?" he asked, crumpling up his paper and tossing it in his already full trashcan. It was filled to the brim with paper balls.

She frowned. "I have so many people I have to make music for!" she said quietly. "I have just the amount of music boxes I need…" She sweatdropped. "Phew, and I thought I got a ton!"

Hoshino frowned. "You don't have to write music, you know."

Anzu looked hurt. "No way," she said. "I'm going to make gifts for everyone. And besides, it's easier for me than regular people. Because it's my Alice."

Hoshino shrugged. "Whatever you want, I suppose."

Anzu went back to work and began to experiment some more. Then she played it from the top.

"Sounds pretty," said Kiori, resting her chin on her kohai's head. "Chibi, you wrote it?"

Anzu nodded. "For Valentine's," she explained. Kiori raised an eyebrow.

"Wow, for whom?" Tazaki asked with a grin on his face. He squinted at the notes scribbled on Anzu's paper. "Hm. Tadpoles."

The little girl giggled. "Those are eighth notes," she said with a smirk.

Tazaki shrugged. "Same thing, right?" He then examined the box next to her piano bench. "What's this?" he asked, picking one up carefully.

"Ah!" Anzu perked. "Those're the music boxes."

"How does one put music in there?" asked Miroko, her long, wavy black hair tied into braids.

Anzu took the box from Tazaki and lifted the small lid. She pulled out a piece of paper.

*****THE INSTRUCTIONS PENNED BY THE ELDERLY WOMAN IN BLACK INK*****

It works as a recorder.

Whatever you make will be recorded.

Even voices (but those are not music, no?).

You can even tweak it

To make it sound like different instruments

Playing at once.

There is a wind-up switch on the side.

See the metal ring?

Don't break it off!

If you do manage to…

Just bring it in the shop, and my husband will fix it.

There's also another switch.

You can add another song.

Tell the person

(or remind yourself)

Which switch is which.

Enjoy!

Anzu then put away the paper, stuffing it into her skirt pocket. "Yup, I think I'm done with this song, and one more," she said distantly. "You wanna hear it? I'm going to record it now."

They all nodded, and she smiled.

"Alright, this one is called 'Nocturne,'" she said, pointing to the one in front of her eyes. Then she pulled out another. "This is 'Mystic.'" Anzu pulled out another, looking thoughtful. "This one… is not done yet. This one is 'Pepper Mint.'"

She set up the music boxes for recording, and began to play the two songs. The air was full of magic, and from her music sprung a colorful, vivid, fairy tale. All of the students in the room stopped with their work and listened, feeling themselves relax. Haruna paused from her work and smiled.

* * *

**Comment: **I do not own Robert Frost's works.

The songs that Anzu makes here is from the soundtrack of Lux-Pain. It's a video game. I do not own Lux-Pain, and most definitely not the music. But it's very pretty to listen to. It captures moods and emotions well, which is why it is in this chapter.

Also, The High Priestess card that Naruse looked at represents intuition and creativity. The poem, well, is much more obvious (laughs).

This was a long one. O.O Hope you enjoyed it.

Next one will finally be Valentine's Day. ^-^


	7. Red Parade

**Red Parade**

"Aaaagh!"

Anzu woke to a panicked yell in the hallway. She blinked once, twice, and rolled onto her side to get a glimpse of the bedroom window.

The sky said it was around seven o'clock.

"Oh no!" she yelped with a jolt of realization. Anzu rolled off her bed swiftly, and landed on the floor with a muffled _thump_. She scrambled to her feet unsteadily and ripped the white bed sheets from her body.

"Wake up, Maiko-chan!" she squeaked, throwing her bedcovers off as well. The sleeping girl stirred and moaned drowsily.

"What time is it?" she asked, then she glanced out the window. Her blue topaz eyes flashed open all the way, and she regarded Anzu severely. "Stupid, look how early it is! The sun is just rising!" Nonetheless, she sat up and slid out of bed.

Anzu darted around the room while yanking off her shirt. "Come on!" she cried, slipping on her school uniform. "They're already starting!"

Maiko frowned, then slipped out of her clothes. She watched with evident interest as Anzu shrieked and slapped on her socks and shoes. The quiet girl combed her shoulder-length hair and stretched her arms above her head. "Alright," she said disapprovingly, "where are my chocolates?"

Anzu whipped around to stare at her. "Huh-?" she exclaimed. "They're right on the desk!"

"Hmph," Maiko said coolly, sweeping the few, elaborate boxes into the inside of her sheep-shaped back. "Who knows where you could've put it? What with you throwing your stuff around—"

"Oh, shut up!"

Anzu lifted open the cloth flap that covered the underside of her bed. She cried out when she found a box full of small, wooden boxes. "Phew, thought I lost them," she sighed in relief. Anzu took a few, examining each one, and placed them into her empty school bag. She put her arms through the straps and retied the ribbon of her shirt.

"Okay!" she said intensely, raising a fist to the sky. "Let's do this!"

Maiko yawned and followed the pumped-up girl out of the room. Out in the dorm corridor, students screeched, some in terror, but most in menacing voices. Boys tore down the hallway, running all they could. Girls followed close behind, their arms outstretched and in their hands were opened boxes full of chocolate.

"Come here!" the girls roared simultaneously. "You haven't tried the frog one yet!"

Anzu stood paralyzed by the door with Maiko at her side. She sweatdropped, and the music boxes in her bag felt heavier on her shoulders.

"I'm glad I'm not a guy," she said, shuddering. "They have it tough." Then she let Maiko tow her down the hall and a set of stairs. They pushed on the glass doors and stepped into the cool, early morning air. It would've been relaxing if there weren't any yelling boys zipping around the buildings outside…

Anzu looked upset and turned to Maiko with a wail. "How're we gonna find everyone?" she asked, poking her fingers together in faltering hope. "They're all hiding."

Maiko turned over Anzu's gift to her in her hands and looked up with a small smile. "I know what to do," she said with a laugh. Anzu's face lit up. Maiko held up a hand for her to not speak.

She closed her eyes, tasting the air for emotions. Around them, she could feel the pain of others, but they were the feelings of people who they had no connections to whatsoever. She tried to sift out the sea of pathos and pinpointed on several people on Anzu's hit list. Immediately, she could see several white flashes of light, like emergency flares, hanging in the sky, only visible to her with her mind's eye. She smiled, and her eyes flashed open.

She pointed to their right, toward the Middle Branch building. They looked on with amusement as they found teenaged boys hiding in shrubs and behind trees. Each one of them showed panicked expressions and shushed them with their index fingers pressed against their chocolate-stained lips. When the two girls walked away laughing, they sighed in relief and remained in terror-filled hiding.

"Here," said Maiko, once their feet reached the carpet of the inside of the building. It had an old, elegant feel to it, and it was much more mature than the Elementary building. Anzu glanced around anxiously, looking for teachers that would scold them for trespassing. But they didn't see any adults, and only heard the occasional scream pierce the air.

"Where?" Anzu asked, peeking in through the glass of a classroom window. She staggered back in surprise when she saw several boys crouching under the tables with wide-eyed terror.

Maiko trotted down the hall, and Anzu followed, looking bewildered. Then down a long set of winding set of steps they went…

She jabbed a finger at one of the classrooms before them. It was labeled that it was a laboratory. Maiko grinned and twisted the knob of the classroom. A few stools were knocked over with a loud, echoing clatter as the girls entered the room.

"Hello?" Anzu called out, frightened. The classroom was empty, but something had just made noise…

A head belonging to a boy poked out from under a black table that was piled with small clear dishes and beakers.

Anzu gave him a running hug, and they both toppled over to the dusty checker tiled floor with loud laughter.

"Hareta-niichan, are you okay?" she squeaked as the teenaged boy slid her onto his lap.

He ran a hand through his champagne-colored hair and looked uncertain. "I think so," he said shakily. Anzu looked dismayed and started checking him for strange side effects from some chocolates he might've received. Hareta chortled and tickled her, his poor-me facade fading away.

"I'm fine!" he laughed brightly. He ruffled her hair and grinned at Maiko, who stood smiling several feet away. "So," he said gravely, "are you here to give me chocolate too?"

Anzu looked hurt and tossed her school bag at him. "You know I can't make anything with chocolate," she groaned, quickly plummeting into a murky gloom.

Hareta looked up wonderingly, then chuckled and opened her bag. "That's right. I remember. Just like the biscotti you made last time…"

Her eyes widened in horror, and she hurriedly covered his mouth. "Don't say it!" she squealed. Then Hareta pulled off her small hand, his mouth curved into a Cheshire Cat-smile. Surprisingly, he remained silent and glanced at the contents of the bag. "Oh, so this is my present?" he asked, holding up a music box with a raised eyebrow.

Anzu snatched it back and he looked surprised. "No," she said firmly, digging out another and placing it on his palm. His fingers closed around this one. "This one's yours."

It had a sun etched on the middle. Hareta laughed delightedly and lifted its lid. A cheerful, nostalgic melody flowed from the amulet in the center of the blue velvet. "Wow, sounds great! Thanks, Chibi! " He hugged her head with a snicker.

A smile lit up her face. "You're welcome! Happy Valentine's!" she giggled. Maiko laughed quietly from behind her hand.

"Hey…" said a muffled voice from behind Hareta, interrupting their rejoicing. A hand appeared and clawed at his shoulder. "You're squishing me."

Anzu let out a sharp scream, and Hareta and Maiko both winced. The teenaged boy laughed and scootched to the other side under the table. Hoshino's blonde head appeared, then his body. He shook his limbs out of their numbness and peered wearily at the two girls.

"Yo," he said, rubbing his tired eyes. His hair was a mess, and his clothes were wrinkled. His cerulean blue eyes widened with shock. "This morning, when I walked out, some girls jumped on top of me and tried to feed me their sweets!" He shuddered, rubbing his arms at the memory. "Agh, and do you know what happened after I ate one? I turned into a cat! They started hugging me. Then I ran away…" Hoshino shivered in fear. "Those girls chased me around the greenhouse, and Misaki-sensei yelled at us, calling us _hooligans _and _rowdy kids_. He was waving his watering hose around madly and it splashed all of us." He wrinkled his nose in distaste at his wet shirt.

Hareta chuckled. "Yeah, he streaked in here, where I was hiding. He was still in his cat form. He scared the hell outta me, waving his paws around and mewing really loudly…"

Hoshino looked awkward. "Quiet, Sempai."

Anzu giggled, reaching into her bag and handing a small box to him. Hoshino shivered and took it, while yelping when Maiko flicked his forehead with her index finger.

His sister sighed in hopelessness. "My brother," she said disapprovingly. She didn't say anything else while she and Anzu both stood.

Anzu made a half-salute and grinned at them with a snicker. "Yep, we're off to deliver more music!" she laughed. Hareta gave her another warm hug and Hoshino waved. "See ya!"  
Then the girls exited out of the lab room, glancing both ways. Anzu looked to her navigator. "Okay," she said to Maiko, "where to now?"

The quiet girl closed her eyes and felt around for emotions. She frowned, and turned toward the end of the hallway. Her topaz eyes peered at her. "There's two of them around here," she said. "You wanna go by yourself?"

Anzu looked puzzled, and hefted the bag on her shoulders. "But why?" she mused. "You're not coming?"

Maiko smiled and shook her head. "I have to go deliver some chocolates now," she said distantly. Anzu suddenly felt a strange pang that her friend was leaving some of the truth out. "See you at breakfast."

Anzu raised her hand in farewell. "B-bye bye…?" she said quizzically. She watched Maiko disappear rapidly down the hallway and down a stair way. Then an incredulous idea hit her with crushing blow.

_Maiko-chan's going to torture some boys with chocolates! _Anzu thought in horror. _I had no idea that she was into that kind of thing… _That was what she had deducted from her friend's odd behavior, anyway.

Anzu shook her head furiously, and trotted in the direction that her friend had pointed. She arrived before a door of another classroom. Class C of the Middle Branch building.

A star with a "C" imprinted on it hung outside the heavy wooden door. _Who's in here? _she wondered briefly. She decided to not worry about it, and happily pushed on the door.

"Hello?" she called out. The room looked exactly like Narumi's classroom. Her feet shuffled along the checkered tiled floor. "Is anyone here?"

No one answered back. Anzu scratched her head as a wave of confusion hit her.

"Huh, that's funny," she said aloud, and turning back to the door. "This _is _the right room, right?"

Anzu was about to leave when she spotted a black shoe on the ground. It dangled from behind one of the ledge benches, swinging back and forth without a care in the world. Smiling craftily, the girl crept on the boy and tugged on his foot. With a loud plop, the shoe came off in her hand and she tumbled backward in surprise.

"Woah," she mumbled, and she set the shoe back in the boy's lap. "Sorry 'bout that." Anzu glanced up from the floor and almost had a spazz attack.

"Axel!" she burst, staring wide-eyed at the frozen black-haired boy across from her. "Why are you here? This is the Middle School's classroom."

He blushed, and he turned his stormy gray eye away from her. "Um," he babbled, "I'm waiting for my sister, actually." Axel's mouth curved into a small smile and hid his face in his arms on the table. "She makes chocolate for me every year. She's nice."

Anzu perked up happily. "Ooh, do they have funny effects?" she asked, tilting her head. Axel shook his head with a musical, quiet chuckle.

"She's not that cruel," he said with a grin. Then he eyed the bulging school bag in her arms. "What's that?" Then his eyes melted to liquid silver. "Oh yeah, your music boxes, right?"

She nodded, one jerky bob. "Yep!" She plunged a hand in her bag and dug around for a while. "Hm… which one—Ah!" She pulled out one with a flower on it. "This one's yours."

Axel took it with a quiet appreciation. "Can I open it?" he asked in a hushed voice.

"Of course!"

He lifted the rosewood lid with a delicate touch of his finger, and a soft melancholy lullaby drifted out and waltzed in the air. It sounded like a harp and a variety of other instruments. Together they created a tear-inducing, beautiful, harmony. The two children kneeled on the floor in a sudden upwelling of reverence, and closed their eyes. Behind their lavender lids were images of sunsets and hills and flowers. A soft blue sky, the color of laughter, was dotted with fluffy white cottony clouds. Birds sang distantly from the trees. A river nearby whispered in the breeze. And a mysterious, wonderful aroma wafted in the air, rejuvenating their senses. There were no words that could possibly describe it. Perhaps it was a honey-sunshine-flower-honeydew-strawberry-apple-leaves-snow kind of smell. But who knew?

They both opened their eyes and laughed at their similar expressions. Their eyes were bright and refreshed, and their hearts beat in time with the music that still flowed from the box on the ground.

"Wow, you really did it!" said Axel, extremely impressed. He smiled, his cheeks flushed, and leaned toward Anzu. "Thanks," he whispered, clutching the box to himself. Axel then pressed his lips on her cheek. She went stiff with surprise. He sat back with a small laugh. "You taught me that, remember?"

Anzu brightened, and straightened up to sit on her knees. "That's right."

Axel smiled, but looked despairing for a moment. A wave of confusion swept over her, but then Axel stood up and stretched, happiness writing itself all over his handsome face.

Anzu doubted herself at seeing the strange expression on him. A fragment of the imagination, she decided.

Axel grinned, his eye flickering silver again. "This'll be our little secret," he said with a laugh, cradling the box to his chest. "No one but me will get to listen to this."

Anzu did a double-take. "Well, you don't have to go that far…"

The boy laughed in delight. "No way, it's mine!" He waved at her. "You have any more boxes to deliver?" he asked.

Her hand flew to her mouth. "Ah, that's right," she said, twisting around for a glimpse of the clock hanging on a wall. "Oh wow, eight o'clock, huh?" Anzu scrambled to her feet and grabbed her bag. She quickly slung it over her shoulders and poised with her hand on the heavy wooden door. She grinned at the black-haired boy who sat by himself on the ledge bench. "See ya later!" she giggled.

"Oh!" he said abruptly, and his arm shot up. "Wait a sec, you forgot something!"

She glanced at him, evidently vexed. "What did I forget?"

Axel tilted his head. "My Alice?" he prompted, his eyes flashing with uncertainty.

Anzu looked horrified, stepping backward. "Aaaah! I can't believe I forgot!" She hung her head in shame. "You almost got away with not telling me…" She whipped her head up and glared at him reproachfully. "Tell me, please!"

The black-haired boy laughed, and turned the box over in his hands in thought. "You won't laugh." He said it firmly in a statement, as if confirming their little agreement.

She shook her head furiously and he sighed, gathering up his courage to finally spill the beans.

"I…" he said slowly. Anzu craned in closer, straining her ears. Her heart galloped in her chest in anticipation.

*****HIS WORDS*****

I have the Pheromone Alice.

Silence. A few quiet moments crawled by. Anzu looked blank. A mouse could've crept along the floor with its twitchy whiskers dusting the floor, and they wouldn't hear it.

"Ph-pheromone…?" she asked weakly. Axel braced himself, leaning away from her, expecting the worst.

Anzu twisted and tore her eyes from his anxious face. A contained giggle escaped from the back of her hand.

"You…" exclaimed Axel indignantly. "See, it's funny, isn't it?"

"Pffftt.." Anzu rubbed at her eyes. "It's not funny, your Alice… It's because you made such a big deal out of it!" she gasped with laughter. "Besides, it suits you! You're handsome."

He looked disgusted. "It's nasty! _It makes me wanna barf_." He shuddered and laughed with no emotion. "I don't want people to fall over my feet wearing faces like that. Love-sick grins…" Axel shivered again, a chill crawling down his spine.

Anzu tilted her head, smiling from ear to ear. "It's not useful to you?" she asked.

"No way!"

She looked disappointed. "Aw, so no stories to share, huh?" she complained. "Like, I made so-and-so fall for me…"

Axel looked mortified and crossed his arms stormily. "Ugh, no…"

Anzu giggled, shifting the bag on her shoulders. "Oh, Axel," she laughed. "You're so funny." Then she sighed and pushed on the door. "I'm gonna go. I want to see your Alice in action some time."

Axel looked offended, and she laughed. He trotted up to where she stood, by the door. He stayed back a few steps and snickered, looking embarrassed about their previous conversation.

He looked thoughtful, and a delicate finger was twined around in chin as he mulled something over in his head. Axel then returned his gaze on Anzu and laughed effortlessly.

"You're always interested with how my love life is going," he mused, "so I thought you'd want to know about this."

She perked up, and was balanced on the heels of her feet. "Yeees?" she said, gawking at him. He looked terribly innocent as he played with her gift in his hands.

Axel smirked at her magnetic fascination and continued. "I think I have someone I like." He paused, weighing his words carefully. He smiled at Anzu. "I think."

She shrieked and threw her arms in the air. "Wow, who is it?" she gasped as soon as she calmed down a notch. Axel was fighting a roar of laughter. "Tell me?"

He sniggered and stuck his tongue out impudently. "No way," he said. "One secret's been told already."

Anzu slumped into a depression. "Aww, tell me how it works out later..." she mumbled dismally, pushing on the mahogany door.

Axel smiled sunnily, and for a moment, she was stunned by his flawless perfection. Just the fact that this incredulously handsome boy was toying with her present while looking dazed when he thought about a certain someone made her want to keel over in elation. She tried to scrape together the image of a girl who would look perfect by his side and immediately thought of Maria with her gorgeous, silky golden hair that waved to the small of her slender back, and her exuberant, astonishingly green eyes framed by doll-like lashes.

She was so ecstatic that she nearly missed Axel's last words. He chuckled at her awe-struck expression. "See you, Anzu." It sounded warm and gentle, as to not startle her from her dreams.

She blinked, clearing her daze, and pushed on the door. It swung easily, and she stumbled artlessly out of the classroom and into the hall.

_Whew, _she thought with relief as she headed down the corridor, the sound of her feet reverberating on the walls. _If I'm not careful, I just might fall in love with Axel! Especially now that I know that he has the Pheromone Alice…_

She shook her head furiously with a nervous laugh. "He's just a friend," she muttered, and before she knew it, she was pulling on the tarnished metal handle of a different room. "Just a friend…"

Anzu stepped inside, perplexed. Sometimes she walked mindlessly, and often got lost. This was usually the kind of moment when Mikan would appear out of nowhere and scold her, hugging her head after giving her a brief, tearful lecture about not leaving her side. Fortunately, it always happened like that, and she was found every time. Anzu giggled at the memory, and walked in further. It was a library, but when she swept her eyes around the scenery in front of her, a sense of déjà vu creeped up on her.

Before a towering book shelf, a boy with dark brown ringlets of hair stood in silence, his eyes going through a thick book. On his perfect nose were silver-rimmed glasses. Anzu laughed out loud and trotted over.

"What're you reading now?" she asked with a smile, sidling up to him.

Naruse glanced at her from his book, adjusting the frames on his nose. He held the book out to her and allowed her to read the title.

"An—" she struggled, trying to pronounce the English gilded title on the front of the leather bound book. "Anti-calamity…?"

Naruse studied her briefly, then shut it softly and put it back in an empty place on the shelf. "That's right." He then walked around an oval-shaped mocha-colored coffee table and sank into a comfortable armchair. Naruse's blue eyes watched as she sat down across from him, noting her shiny, fascinated eyes.

Anzu looked dubious with her wrinkled nose. "I don't know what this _anti-calamity _means, but," she said, delving her hand into her school bag. She pulled out a rosewood box that had waves etched all along the edges and lid. She tossed it at him casually. "This is for you, believe it or not."

The quiet boy caught in easily in one hand and examined it from end to end. His face held no emotion, but Anzu had expected that kind of reaction.

"I didn't do anything," he said after a while. He raised an eyebrow skeptically. "A bribe, is it?"

Anzu stared at him, offensive. "What? No, I wanted to make it," she clarified, leaning toward him seriously. "Just for you."

Naruse held a strange emotion on his face. A mixture of many emotions, too blended to distinguish any of them without half-baked guesses. Anzu shrank back, and decided to dub that face as "scary".

He pointed at the box in his hand. "So," he said, his voice laden with derision, "what does this do, exactly?"

"Unnnn…" Her tongue was twisted into many knots upon knots.

"Answer quickly!" he said sternly, and she flinched, waiting for a threat. But none came.

Anzu turned to him again with deliberate slowness. "It's a music box," she said cautiously. "I compose stuff, remember?"

Naruse looked wry. "Yeah." He scowled at the box and lifted its lid. No music came out.

"Ah," Anzu said suddenly, reaching over the coffee table towards him. "It hasn't been winded yet, sorry…" She slipped and accidentally laid a hand on his shoulder.

He jerked away in an instant, and so did she. An electric current zipped through her skin, starting from the palm of her hand and traveled rapidly down to her toes. "W-whoops," she laughed nervously, red-faced chagrin washing over her. "My bad."

Naruse glared at her, smoothing his shirt. He then rose from the chair and slipped the box into his pants pocket. Wordlessly, he turned his back to her and strode over to the single door of the library. Anzu stared at him from behind, hovering by the chairs.

When he was about to push on the glass door to head into the hall, he paused, and turned to her.

"I'll listen to it later," he said ambiguously. Then he pocketed his glasses.

_Another smile? Or just a glitch in my system?_ Anzu mused, watching in silence as he slipped into the hall way. She frowned, waited a bit, then tore out of the library. Naruse was gone.

"Aw," she whined, completely disappointed. "I wanted to ask him about it too. 'Did you just smile?'" Anzu sighed and wiped her brow. "If he got mad, would that mean yes? Oh, but that could be a no, too… Ooh, why am I so dumb?"

She grumbled to herself as she stomped through the hall. Maiko would be finished delivering chocolates by now. And she would be waiting impatiently in the cafeteria, eating breakfast alone.

_No class! _Anzu thought with a thrill, reveling in the aloneless of the empty hallways.

* * *

"Mm!"

Anzu stretched her arms above her head and sighed with content. It was now afternoon, and pretty warm out. It was so nice that she had decided to take a walk. She figured that it was well-earned after being so diligent about delivering the rest of her music boxes to Nakao, Maria, Narumi, Haruna, Kiori, Tazaki, Suzuki and Miroko. Anzu counted everyone on her fingers and had to use them twice.

"Wow, thirteen," she said with a laugh. Anzu sighed in happiness, standing in the warm sun that peeked behind some fluffy white clouds. She grinned, and studied a tree on her way to the dorm. The tree was the same one Naruse had leaned on while dozing off. She laughed, and skipped down the sidewalk.

_I hope he likes it, _she thought, and automatically clasped her hands in a quick, silent prayer. _Please like it, Naruse-kun._

Anzu tilted her head and a smile crept into her features while she strode along the empty, quiet pathway.

_Will "Pepper Mint" really put him to sleep? I'll ask him about it tomorrow._

She continued down the sidewalk, humming a cheery tune. Anzu made "Pepper Mint" while thinking of his sleeping problems. She wanted to see if he could get healthier and get a bit more of color in his pale skin. Plus, he did look really slender. Did he eat enough? Now she worried about him whole-heartedly at night. Anzu expressed that same worry in her music.

_And I want him to open up a bit, _she thought. _Maybe become friends?_

She sighed and kicked a pebble with the toe of her shoe. It bounced up ahead a few feet, as if saying, "Not likely!"

* * *

The lanky boy frowned and pushed on the ornate wooden door and slipped into his room. It was spacious, and generously furnished, with an enormous bed that could fit several people and still have enough wiggle room, several cushioned couches, and a veranda that had a good view of the sunsets that lit up the entire sky above Alice Gakuen. Naruse thrust his hand into his checkered pants pocket, and his present was set on the table with a soft clatter. He stared at it apprehensively, as if it would beep at any moment and explode into a million pieces, and also blasting him apart.

_That girl, _he thought with a scowl, _what goes on in her head? I have nothing to do with her…_

Then a frown settled on the edges of his pale pink lips, and he berated himself. Naruse threw off his shoes and changed into a t-shirt and sweats. His arms were always concealed by the long sleeves of the winter uniform, but they were actually hard with muscle. Naruse's mouth twitched, thinking of what Anzu would say if she managed to get a glimpse of him.

"_Wow, do you work out or something?_" she would ask in her bubbly, excessively exuberant voice. "_No wonder you're so strong!_"

He glared at a phantom image of her and flopped onto his bed angrily. _Why does she always follow me? Listening to me prattle like my life's story is vitally important._

Naruse rolled onto his back and sighed irritably. Just being on the soft bed made his eyes droop. But at night he couldn't sleep. Or rather, he didn't. It wasn't just because he was up thinking about things. It was because Persona handed him missions nonchalantly that kept him playing and baiting Death. Who wouldn't brood over that fact in bed?

_Persona, _he thought, and a wave of intense admiration swept over him. Naruse respected and revered him, and never questioned his orders. Well, sometimes he was a bit cheeky now and then, and his dark, humorless teacher would punish him with the ring around his neck.

_You are bound to me by fate, _Persona had said, a grim smile playing on the edges of his black lips. Naruse could never distinguish what emotion the older man felt, as he wore an ominous white mask over his black, cold eyes.

Persona stared out into the dark sky, watching as a sliver of blinding orange crept over the horizon line. It was just around sunrise, and they were doing their training outside. Those days were harsh, when Naruse had just come to the Academy.

Naruse wiped his brow, sweating just from the memory. Persona had been merciless then, not as understanding as he was now.

The Persona in his crystal clear memory turned to him again. He bent down to the boy's level on the ground, staring at the fallen boy and the cuts all over his body. The hems of his midnight black jacket almost trailed on the ground, not quite touching.

The man looked at the exhausted Naruse with a wry expression. _I warned your mother to stay by my side, _he said, staring at the sunrise with an unfathomable silence. Anger rippled throughout Naruse's body when Persona mentioned her.

His mom.

She was all that mattered.

Persona turned to Naruse, his lips curved into a slight smile. _Good boy, _he whispered, reaching down to pat his student's head. His pale white fingers, covered with a mind-boggling amount of Alice restraining rings, and long nails like claws felt his hair, then lightly touched the boy's dirty, scuffed up cheek.

_Hate is good._

_Good boy._

Naruse sat on the dusty ground, paralyzed by the strange man. He watched in silence and guarded himself as Persona sighed despairingly and stood up. His masked eyes swept over the buildings of Alice Gakuen, small from where they trained on the grassy hill.

Persona looked stiff and emanated frustration and anger.

_Where is your mother? _he asked sharply. _Did she flee her house? _Naruse was stunned by the sudden change in mood. Persona was prone to hiding his emotions. But he let them out now without a care. Did he trust Naruse to keep his small mouth shut?

The tall man's jaw was clenched. _Poor Nobara, _he said softly, gazing out into the sky in lonliness. _What a wretched man your father is._

Naruse's heart twisted in pain. He didn't know his dad, as he had left his mom when he found out that she was pregnant. He had abandoned him, leaving Nobara just to fend her herself and her unborn son. She worked everyday without a complaint, scraping together money to feed herself, just enough to deliver a healthy baby boy.

They lived in an apartment. A small, stifling one at that. It wasn't in the best of neighborhoods, and crime was not uncommon. Sudden screaming at night wasn't unusual.

When Naruse heard about his dad from Nobara, he was infuriated. He was probably three or four then, extraordinarily mature for such a young child. He'd grown on the streets, after all.

He wanted to break everything in their small house. When he was about to send their only lamp smashing to the floor, Nobara calmed him down with a few words.

She smiled a small, sad smile layered with regret and despair.

_I don't blame him, _she had said. She still sounded like she was in love with him. That made Naruse even more enraged. Alarmed, she caught his wrist and set back the lamp on the small kitchen table. Weakly, she staggered under the weight and panted as she put it down.

_She's so powerless, _he thought, running over to her side and throwing his arms around her, tears splashing down his face. If only he could do something to help her. But he was just too young, and still green behind the ears. He rarely went to school, though his mom begged him to. But Naruse was always worried about her even when coloring pages in a classroom at preschool. He was so aggravated that he snapped at children who wanted to befriend him. He sent them away with words like stinging, tangled up nettles.

There was an instance where it ended horribly. Punches were thrown, and loud strings of oaths were in the air. There were screams and a sea of tears from all the children in the classroom. Naruse stood paralyzed above a kid. Beneath him, the child cowered on the tiled floor with his small hands held protectively in front of his face. Scarlet blood pulsed profusely down his cheek, and drops of it splattered and stained the ground. Naruse staggered back in shock, staring at the bloodied crystal clenched in his white fist.

A yell came from several adults, and they rushed into the room. One restrained Naruse, but he was already limp with fear. His face was white, a chalky, sick and deathly pale. His hand slowly released the crystal, and it clattered ominously to the floor.

The teachers of the preschool were running around, trying to calm the wailing children. They spoke in low voices to each other, throwing harsh looks at the still boy with crusted blood on his hands.

_A monster Alice._

_Call the Academy! Do it now!_

_Escort him to his house. Notify his guardians._

_Yes, right away!_

His eyes widened in fear. He didn't want Nobara to find out about the incident.

He had made a boy cry. Bleed, snivel, beg. Crouching on the floor, red pooling on the white sterile tile.

Disgusting.

Naruse turned on his heel and dashed out of the room, in between the adults' legs. Several shouts followed, and rapid footsteps came after him, and arms clawed the air just a hairsbreadth away from his body. His heart felt like it would tear from his chest and plop to the ground, his vital organ rolling to a stop with one last shuddering heave.

But it didn't. He was almost disappointed.

He kept running, and he ducked into several alley ways to lose them. The boy knew his way around, as he wandered around at night, gazing up at the stars.

But it was always too cloudy to see the diamonds in the sky. Gray, choking smog hovered above the city slums. He glared at the heavens above them.

_Show me! Isn't there a God out there, pulling all of our strings?_

Naruse slowly lost the adults, one by one. He could hear their alarmed cries as they floundered around, looking for him behind trash cans and the like. He slowed to a trot and softly knocked on the door of his apartment.

The iron door slid open, and his mother's pale, beautiful face appeared. Her soft blue eyes widened with horror when she saw how dirty he was, and took him in a tight hug, cleaning the crusted blood off his hand with a warm, damp towel.

_Kiri-chan, _she cried, a sob rising in and out of her throat. Her wildly curly brown hair tickled his face as she hugged him. She had just finished speaking with one of the furious adults at the preschool. _You have my Alice, don't you? _Nobara leaned back, wiping the tears from her face with the back of her hand. But they didn't stop running down her face.

_Some people are going to take you away._

Naruse staggered backward, but his mom's hand was still on his shoulder. _What? No! You need me! _he wanted to shout. But his mouth opened, and no words came out.

_I can't go! _he finally managed, tears appearing in his eyes. Nobara let out another muffled sob and hurried away, shamefaced of crying in front of her son. She didn't want to let him see her when she was so vulnerable.

Two days later, a sleek black car pulled to the deserted curb of their apartment building. Naruse glared out the window, watching as a tall man in black swiftly got out of the car. His lope was unnervingly graceful, and the boy dropped the curtains, disgusted.

A single rap announced his arrival at their door step. Nobara staggered to the door and unbolted it with shaking hands. She went stiff when she saw who it was.

_P-Persona…?_

She let out a sob and quietly rubbed at her red eyes. The man in black looked grim. They exchanged a few words, laden with double meanings that Naruse didn't get. Their emotions ranged from sorrow to happiness and regret. When they finished, Nobara stepped aside to let the man named Persona have a glimpse of her son.

Persona was frightening. A white mask shaded his eyes. A black smile. Multiple piercings and rings on his long, alabaster fingers. Nails like pincers that would gauge your eyes out if your tongue slipped up. The way the bizarre man carried himself loudly told the world that he was proudly a pariah (loner).

Persona examined the silent boy, and stepped closer. Naruse hissed and backed away.

_Hm, _he said in a low, unforgettable voice. It was nightmarish. His hand extended to Naruse slowly, trying not to frighten him. _A mere copy._

He was referring to how much mother and son looked similar. A wry smile formed on his dark, sinister lips.

_Kirio, is it? _he asked. Naruse was still, fighting the impulse to bolt out through the door way. Persona straightened and looked almost pleased. He shook his head with a small, one syllable laugh.

_You're coming with me, _he said clearly. _To the Academy._

The boy could only shake his head fervently.

Nobara's eyes widened. _No, Kiri-chan, _she said in a soft voice. _You must._

Naruse's jaw tightened. _No._

Persona glanced at Nobara almost apologetically, then with inhuman speed, lashed out and firmly gripped the boy by his arm. Naruse shrieked, thrashing around, but the man's hold on him was too strong. He was no match.

_Goodbye, Nobara, _said Persona, looking calm as he held the restless boy. _I do wish you would come back with me._

The thin woman shook her head furiously, and her eyes were full of past pain. _No… I'm sorry. It's hard for me to think about it at all…_

Persona sounded almost kind. _I understand. Take care of yourself._

Nobara nodded and just watched as Naruse fought a losing battle. He roared with fury, clawing at the man's arm. His eyes wheeled around as he struggled toward his mom.

_No! _he wailed, a piercing, shattering sound in the still night. _You need me! I don't want to leave you!_

His mom looked small, fragile, too breakable as she feebly raised her hand in farewell.

_Kiri-chan, I'll miss you, _she said with heart-breaking sorrow. Naruse thrashed harder, but Persona continued to lead him to the opened door of the black car.

_No! No! I don't want to!_

Nobara shook her head.

_This is meant to be._

How he hated those words! His mom always spoke of fate. She would mope around the apartment, sighing, thinking about the foggy, murky memories and faces she wanted to see. Nobara mumbled that it was supposed to be like that. Like they weren't supposed to meet again. Fate pushed everyone away from each other.

Nobara looked and stared into her son's wild eyes.

_Please do me one last favor…?_

Naruse stopped thrashing around. Persona waited.

_This child, _she coughed violently. _If you happen to meet a child with this surname…_

Nobara struggled to say the last name, covering her hand over her mouth weakly.

_Please befriend them. Their parents are special people to me._

Her eyes pleaded with him. They would haunt him for eternity.

Naruse nodded without a word, and she smiled a tiny smile.

_Goodbye._

She looked awfully lonely and wistful as Persona placed him gently in the backseat of the car. The door slammed shut behind him. And when they started driving off, the old Naruse was shedding bits and pieces of himself behind.

Behind with Nobara.

* * *

Naruse lay on his bed, breathing harshly. He sat up with dizzying speed and whirled around. He pounded his fist on the wooden desk at his side.

"Dammit…" he whispered, full of regret. His eyes were hot with anger. "I don't even know if you're alive or not…"

They were not permitted to send each other letters.

No "how are you?"s, nothing.

Naruse floated in anxious darkness.

An abyss of lonliness.

He whipped the music box off his desk and it flopped onto the bed, mocking him. Naruse steamed and wanted to smash it onto the ground, but his mom's words echoed in his mind.

_Please befriend them._

"Hyuuga," he snarled, setting the box on his pillow while seething. If only it were so easy. He was jumpy, and liked to frighten people so they wouldn't bother him. But the girl on his mind was fearless. Every time she bounced up to him, she had a cheerful grin on her face, and chirped, "_Hello! What're you doing now?_" She infuriated him with her endless questions, her eyes full of fascination. Naruse felt like he was drowning in the inexplicable magnetic force of those thoughtful hazel orbs.

"Why do you smile?" he whispered, opening the box as if it would reply back. "So naïve…"

A letter fell out of the box. It was nestled in the corner. He hadn't noticed it before. Naruse unfolded it uncomprehendingly, his mind still awhirl from re-experiencing some painful memories.

**Naruse-kun,**

I can't help but wonder about you. You're an interesting person. You have a lot of secrets, don't you? Ahaha, sorry for being so nosy.

Yep, and I know that you can't sleep well. Why's that? You can tell me anything. Anyway, I put two songs on here. Pretty nifty, huh? The first one's Mystic. The other is Pepper Mint. Pepper Mint is the song that'll definitely put you to sleep. You'll sleep like a baby! (lol)

Anyway, I still want to be your friend! I think everyone does. But take your time. We're all waiting for you.

Listen to the music and tell me what you think!

**Anzu.**

His mouth twitched. He was fighting a smile. The raven-haired girl really got to him sometimes. Maybe she had another power besides composing music, he wondered. Naruse frowned and shook his head, then winded up the box, wondering which switch was which. There were two…

He shrugged, and waited as the music twirled around. It was a nostalgic, kind melody. Like the kind of music you would listen to after a hard day to rejuvenate yourself. But there were melancholy parts too, and it re-emphasized the bittersweet, familiar qualities of the music.

Suddenly the bed felt so soft. Like plush, he began to sink deeper and deeper. Or maybe it was like a nest of feathers. Or moss…. He traded a dozen comparisons in his head drowsily. His eyes were definitely drooping. A little flicker of amazement swept through him before the world disappeared through his eyes.

_So this is Pepper Mint? It's… really effective…_

He had an unbelievably soft dream that day. And he slept all through the afternoon til the next morning. Naruse had never felt so relaxed before.

_So this is what a _good_ morning is supposed to feel like, huh?_

Naruse almost smiled when he got ready for class.

* * *

**Comment: **This one was also very long (laughs). I thought it would be lighter and shorter, but suddenly I was revealing Naruse's past… O.O

Oh yeah, and I'm almost finished with my summer work. O.O It's due in… a week (laughs). So there'll be a lot of chapters coming after I complete it. But then I'll get caught up with the new school year… (whoops!)

Please review what you think! :D


	8. He Who Flees

He Who Flees

DAWN

By Lucirina Telor Vevan

The silence shrouds the dark of night,

the moon lets out a silvery breath.

Crickets sing their song so bright

about the cycle of life and death.

The mist falls over sea and land,

and washes away the dust.

Asleep is now both head and hand,

asleep is hate and lust.

The stars, like lanterns far away

Light a way in midst the blue

So the wind may not wander astray

Through the woods of adlemir and yew.

A night bird lifts its wings to flight

Like a ghost rising from the grave

And with its voice calls out the night

As it slowly ends it dark enclave

As a queen the Injèrá claims her home

As the waves wash towards the shore

The stars and moon disappear in foam

It's morning, morning again, once more.

* * *

A clear day. A tall, handsome man in his late twenties, or at most early thirties shielded his dark eyes from the scorching rays of the sun. He was dressed in neatly pressed black pants and a red jacket, which just barely hid the subtle muscle of his arms. He tilted his head up to the sky and sighed slowly.

A pair of college girls, it looked like, approached him from the other side of the street. As they crossed the bustling intersection, they scanned him up and down approvingly. The one with her hair done up into a ponytail flashed a flirty glance at him.

"Hello," she purred, minutely pushing her companion closer to her side. "Nice day, isn't it? Seems like that storm passed right on by." Her friend's head bobbed in eager agreement.

He smiled at them with his lips pressed tightly together-so tight that they started turning white- and replied, "Yes," he said cautiously, his eyes gazing back upward at the sky. He kept several tabs on the invisible sounds they were making- the impatient tapping of the girl's foot, the movement of cloth as they shifted their weight to the balls of their feet…

"So," interrupted the girl again. She leaned toward him too eagerly, and his eyes narrowed infinitesimally. "Do you… want to get a drink with us?"

He frowned, and his long slender fingers reached up and brushed his dark bangs out of his eyes so that he could get a clearer view at them. "Excuse me?" he said brusquely, and it came out harsher than he expected.

The girls recoiled and stumbled clumsily away. A small mercury colored reflection wavered on their faces. "S-sorry, mister!" they shouted hurriedly, walking edgily as if they wanted to break out in a run.

Natsume chuckled quietly and held his left hand up to his face. A subtly shining metal band smiled at him from his ring finger. He pressed it to his lips for a moment, then his arm dropped and he continued walking on the busy sidewalk crammed with people who chattered in rapid Japanese into tiny cell phones.

He moved fluidly and easily through a small crowd and walked up to a streakless window display, and his eyes flickered along its length. He was slightly unaware of gently pushing people aside to get a better view. About a dozen wide-screen TVs stretched behind the glass, and each monitor flickered different channels. One was a soap opera in which the main couple was in the hospital together-another was showing a preview of a movie that he would most likely see with Mikan-but the one that captured his interest most were two news reporters staring gravely back at him with their lips fashioning syllables that he couldn't hear. But Natsume knew they were reporting a missing child, as there was a photographed portrait of a young boy against the familiar dark blue background of school pictures. He continued to stare at the screen and watched as the photo was replaced by a blurred image… Natsume frowned and crept closer to the glass window, hoping to make out the features of the mysterious photograph.

_That place looks familiar, _he thought with an air of puzzlement. _Hm…_

He let out a long sigh, and a couple dressed alike in khaki shorts and cut off tops threw him a few withering glares before he turned away and strode down the sidewalk and found a tarnished door handle. Natsume grasped it and pulled it open, where it swung freely, and slid quietly back into place as he entered the electronic shop. He was greeted with a wordless nod from the person at the register- a young man with inky black hair and equally dark hood shadowing his face. His head bobbed in time with the music coming from the iPod headphones jammed into his ears, the white cords trailing down the front of his zip-up hoody.

"TVs are thirty percent off," he muttered, though he didn't look at Natsume, who now wandered around the shop, wearing a bemused expression.

Natsume's head craned around the shop, then he made his way over to the flashing TV screens near the window display. Inside, he could hear the reporters' somber voices clearly, and he went down a whole aisle, trying to find one with the right channel.

"…_mysterious disappearances have occurred around Tokyo, including one of Shimizu Rokuro, a student at the prestigious-_"

Natsume stared at the screen as once again the familiar image popped up on the screen. His breath came out in a shocked hiss and the color drained out of his face.

"_-Alice Gakuen. It is highly unusual for such a probability to occur, as the Academy is guarded day and night, and especially since security was taken several steps further several years ago. As of two weeks ago, the entire grounds are being continually searched for the student, but no evidence remains of his presence. Rumors of a crafty Alice have spread like a wildfire, frightening parents all over the nation as regulations restrict any sort of communication with their children who've become new students. Investigators have-"_

Natsume turned away from the screen and passed by dozens of TVs showing a re-run episode of an anime. He moved past the boy at the counter, who was now whispering fervently the lyrics to a heavy metal song. He punched the door open and scarcely heard the boy say, "Have a nice day," before slipping out.

Natsume took in a sharp breath through his nostrils, and with his mind cleared, he began to walk with casual, overdone slowness. Then he was quickening his pace gradually. Suddenly, he burst into a dead sprint, shoving several people aside without a single "sorry," and down the sidewalk. Many people made noises of annoyance, others yelled at him, and some just ogled as the beautiful man raced through a throng of chattering people, causing a mad mayhem of spilt restaurant leftovers and plastic cup contents, but he was acutely aware of what he was doing. All he could feel was the sharp, biting wind rushing into his face, and the rhythmic thrumming of his feet. What he saw around him was a rush of colors, unclear, dirty- like muddied water at the bottom of a pond, and the sound of rushing blood roared in his ears.

A wooden spoon covered in vivid red tomato sauce clattered to the tiled floor when Mikan heard the front door being thrust open furiously. Her long auburn hair swirled as she turned from the bubbling pot on the stove to eye her panting husband in the frame of the front door. His hair stood up in comical tufts, but he was wearing such a serious expression that Mikan decided to close her open mouth.

Her lips formed a bewildered smile. "Natsume… how was work?" she said, trying to strike up a conversation. "Did those kids at the dojo give you a hard time? They're so demanding of their sensei, don't you think?"

Natsume shot an impatient glance at her, kicked off his shoes, and closed the front door in one swift movement. "No, the kids are rowdy, but in their usual way. Nothing I can't handle. Anyway," he added breathlessly, "have you seen the news? I just saw…" He snatched the long black remote from the seiza table and pressed the ON button, then threw the device on the leather couch. Mikan frowned and stooped down to pick up the spoon she'd dropped; tomato sauce now formed a small puddle on the floor and she wiped it clean with a damp washcloth.

"Mikan," Natsume complained, waving at her hurriedly from the couch. "This is really important- it involves Anzu at the Academy…"

She dropped the dirty spoon in the sink, wiped her hands on a paper towel, and settled into the crook of Natsume's shoulder. A reporter on a different news network was reporting the same events Natsume had seen at the electronics shop, but it didn't fail to deliver a bone-chilling sensation down their spines.

Natsume's lips came close to her ear. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" he whispered, his warm breath lingering on her cheek. The clichéd statement would've made Mikan laugh if it had been said by someone other than her serious, thoughtful husband. Instead, it sent a new thrill, something she hadn't experienced in a long time, throughout her body.

"Yes," she agreed wholeheartedly. A devious, cat-like smile played on the edges of Natsume's lips as he pulled her gently off the couch and set her steady on her feet.

He began to jog up the carpeted stairs, then paused and asked, "Day of departure?"

Mikan smirked, untying her apron and folding it in such a way that looked like it had been ironed. "Tomorrow," she declared, pushing the neat pile into a kitchen drawer. "Tell those kids at the dojo that one of the senior belts will be sensei for a while…"

Natsume chuckled quietly, then continued the last few steps, forming an idea of what to bring for the long, harrowing journey ahead of them.

* * *

Ruby-tinted Dawn blushed along the pitch black horizon, creating a line of silhouetted houses off in the distance. Natsume stretched his arms as far as he could and rolled the stiffness out of his neck. Last night he'd been so full of excitement that he couldn't get much sleep. Mikan teased him quite a bit about how brilliantly his eyes shone during a quick breakfast.

"Okay, packed and ready?"

"Yes. You still fully awake? Oh, wait, you've been awake all this time."

"Ha ha, very funny, Mikan. C'mon, it's going to be sunrise in an hour, and we have to hit the road."

"Alright-"

Mikan tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear, then zipped up a small backpack that conveniently expanded after being unzipped. She probably fit a week's worth of clothing in there, along with some provisions and hygiene supplies, like toothpaste and brushes, and towels. She slipped it into her shoulders and beamed at Natsume, who held up an index finger, from which a set of keys dangled and made a series of musical chimes.

"Yup, ready now. Lock up, please!" she chirped.

Natsume held out the door while Mikan stepped from the house, and jammed the metal key into the slot and turned. There was a loud, metallic click, and he tugged on the handle and twisted it. It didn't budge, and in satisfaction, he let the screen door that was placed on top of the real door slide back into its plastic frame. Then he held out a rough, calloused hand to Mikan which she took, and watched as she slipped a rounded stone the color of aquamarine* out of her jeans pocket.

She gripped the rock in her hand, feeling a hot surge of power course through her veins. "Ready?"

Natsume nodded, and Mikan concentrated and wished very hard. The ground began to dematerialize under their feet, and they were suspended on air. Wind coursed around their bodies, but there was no sign of life that they could see; all they saw was black. Natsume squeezed his wife's hand for moral support as they flashed by several invisible cities.

A spark bit at them as they landed on a scruffy lawn that had missing patches of grass. Natsume and Mikan steadied themselves and stared with unfathomable horror at the state of the house before them.

It was a modest western-style home, complete with a faded yellow porch and swing. But in the owner's absence, it seemed like a group had raided and utterly destroyed the house. The roof was barely holding its own; the shingles were crushed into such a thin powder that it might as well been gray crumbly cheese. The windows were smashed in, and pieces of glass crunched under their sturdy boots as they punched open the barely hanging front door.

Mikan's eyes swelled with anguished tears as she nudged a fallen bookcase with her foot. Leather-bound volumes and paperbacks were viciously clawed apart, and papers littered the floor in a disarray. Natsume crossed the threshold to the other side of the room, and examined a desk that spewed its contents onto the floor. His fingers gently probed at the once carefully arranged cream colored files that were hastily flipped through by whoever had trespassed.

Mikan stormed to where Natsume was and picked up a similar-looking file and scanned through the wrinkled papers. Her eyes widened and gasped.

"Th-this is?" she sputtered in astonishment.

Natsume nodded, not tearing his eyes from a carefully written data sheet. "Your mother actually kept these kind of things recorded?" he asked.

She shook her head. "I had no idea," she confessed. "What does this all mean? Someone raided Okaa-san's house? Did they know her… reputation?"

Natsume shrugged indifferently. "Probably subordinates of a rival cause," he muttered in a low voice. He slowly swept his gaze across the room as if expecting cameras or lasers to suddenly appear and give them away. He sighed a breath of relief when the area seemed secure enough. "Be careful, watch your step," Natsume said quietly as he led her down a narrow hall. The photos on the wall were in place, at least. But most chilling was that Mikan noticed the photos of Anzu were no longer there.

They walked in silence, taking in the damage of the house. A lonely groan escaped from an ajar door, and Mikan jumped. Natsume held up a finger and whispered, "It's only the wind," and pointed at the open window inside a bedroom.

After a while, Mikan whispered while rubbing her goose-bump covered arms, "What are you thinking? All this quiet is giving me a fright."

Natsume was lingering in the hall again, pacing impatiently. "I don't know," he admitted. "I thought we might be onto something if we studied the evidence, but it seems like we can only go in circles like this. I can't even remember why we came here."

"To see if Okaa-san knew about what happened at the Academy?" Mikan reminded him.

Natsume stared upward at the ceiling. "Well, yeah, but she's obviously not here. By the looks of what happened here, she might've been taken captive or is on the run. But I think I might have a guess as to what happened…"

"Yes? He appeared behind Mikan and hugged her to him in one swift movement. His hands slid over her eyes, and he kept her still with his firm grip.

"W-what are you doing, Natsume?" she said in shock. "This is not the time for jokes!"

"No, no," he reassured her. "This is a little demonstration… well, now that you can't see, imagine Yuka during a normal night, getting ready for sleep. Maybe she's reading a novel or something. But she hears a strange sound outside and walks over to a window. Her front door bursts open and it turns out to be some old enemies… There's several ways this could end. First method. Yuka gets knocked out and they steal important documents and wreck the house, then drag her body along. Second. Yuka drives them away, but they manage to steal her belongings. She goes in pursuit after them, abandoning her house.

"Or third," he said, while releasing his bewildered wife and pointing to several small shapes on the ground, "maybe Yuka realized something was going to happen and left us a notice."

Mikan snarled at him and Natsume chuckled, completely oblivious. "That's ludicrous!" she exclaimed. "How could you have knocked out every option except those three?"

Natsume's expression darkened. "Yuka could've taken down a bunch of normal thieves," he said.

Mikan felt a stab of regret. "I see what you mean," she said slowly, then squinted at the spot he had pointed out before. "What were you looking at again? Something about a notice, you said?"

He flipped a switch and a blinding yellow light threw shadows across the floor. Mikan gasped quietly, her eyes following a trail of small oranges snaking along the hall, then disappearing around a corner.

"See what I mean?" Natsume said with a somewhat smug smile. "It could be only Yuka's doing, right?"

Mikan remembered a memory as vivid as yesterday as the two of them followed the winding trail through the house.

* * *

"_Baa!" a tiny Anzu cried out, waving her dimpled hands at Yuka, and stumbling toward her._

_Yuka, a strong hearted woman with shoulder length honey blonde hair scooped up the toddler and laughed. "My, you seem to be putting on some weight, Anzu. You're going to grow up into a beautiful girl."_

_Mikan smiled wryly. "You could've just stuck with the beautiful part," she muttered. "'Putting on some weight,'" she quoted sourly._

_Yuka responded with a silvery laugh and patted Anzu's slim shoulder. "Is that what you should say to your mother?" she teased lightly. "But anyway, I'm grateful I get to spend some time with my granddaughter. Thank you for today."_

_Mikan blinked and lowered her head in embarrassment. "Oh, no," she mumbled. "Today I've got to work, and Natsume is busy at the dojo… So, thanks, Okaa-san."_

_Yuka laughed again. "Any time. Ah, you're picking her up at around six PM, is that right?"_

"_Yeah. Um… should I say have fun? She'll mostly be snoozing, so…"_

"_Ha ha, it's fine if it goes that way too. Have a good day at work!"_

"_Thanks. See you then!"_

_Mikan closed the door and a smile grew on her face when she heard Anzu shriek with delight as Yuka tossed her gently in the air and caught her._

_When six o'clock arrived, Mikan knocked quietly on the door and waited, but no one answered. "Hello?" she said loudly. Her mother didn't respond, and she yanked the door open in alarm. "Why-the door's unlocked-"_

_Yuka and Anzu were curled up on the carpet, side by side. They breathed rhythmically, and didn't respond to Mikan as she tiptoed to them and smiled at their sleeping faces._

"_Obaa-san," Mikan whispered into Yuka's ear with a trace of a giggle. "Good work." Yuka stirred a bit, and Mikan moved away before she could wake up. _

_She crept carefully to the sleeping Anzu and lifted her up slowly. A picture book fell out from under her child's warm palm, and Mikan set Anzu back down again._

Hansel and Gretel, _it said. There was a depiction of a gingerbread house nestled in the forest and two children running away from a witch who waved a ladle at them. Out of curiosity, Mikan opened the book and scanned the short captions (which were in English) under ornate illustrations of the old tale. She flipped to a random page and studied a single scene. _

_The two children were making a trail of rocks though the forest. The next few pages after that, they ran along that same path, escaping from the wrath of the outstretched claws of the witch who wanted to plump them up for a meal. _

"_Ma?" _

_Mikan turned her head toward Anzu, who was attempting to sit up on her own. With a smile, she fixed her daughter into a sitting position and tilted her head in confusion. _

"_Why're you holding a dried apricot, silly?" she chortled quietly, ruffling Anzu's dark hair._

"_Mmph," replied Anzu seriously, and she set it on the carpet behind several other dried apricots. A tiny trail of six or so apricots lined the carpet._

"_Ha ha, very good," Mikan praised with a laugh, and she scooped up the toddler, marveling in the fact that Anzu had put to practice what Hansel and Gretel were doing in the story. _

_Yuka stirred awake, and propped herself up by her elbows. "Oh," she said groggily, rubbing her eyes. "Is it six already? Sorry, we dozed off…"_

_Mikan laughed and adjusted Anzu's weight in her arms. "Were you reading some children's tales?" she asked. "Thank you for entertaining her."_

_Yuka got to her feet. "Oh, but I benefited too," she laughed. "Anzu's reactions are just so precious-"_

* * *

"Mikan?" Natsume's low voice startled her out of her reminiscing. He squeezed her hand and raised an eyebrow.

"Ah, sorry," she said. She blinked and took in a small breath. A strong whiff of bleach knocked her breathless and coughing. "Ugh, why…?"

Natsume gestured at the oranges on the floor. "Yuka led us here. There must be something in here of importance, right? Let's search together."

The room they were in was an all white room with black top tables and an eclectic assortment of beakers and tongs and Bunsen burners. Mikan spun around the room with her mouth agape, wanting to ask many questions. Where were they? Her mother had a laboratory in her house? What was going on?

Natsume regarded her expression with amusement. "You search on the right. I'll do the left," he directed. Mikan grimaced and crossed the room with a few strides and began to open and close cabinets and drawers.

An unknown amount of time later, Mikan emerged out of a tall cabinet with a metal cylinder the length of two feet and handed it to Natsume.

"This is all I could find which looked interesting, so…" she mumbled. She watched as Natsume turned it over in his hands quizzically.

"Ah, found something," he said abruptly, and a folded white square dropped to the floor. Natsume picked it up, and unfolded the paper and read aloud the letter.

_To those special to me,_

_If you find my home in a state of ruin, that is normal by the way this conflict is progressing. And if you've found this strange object here, we might emerge with the solution. _

_Please protect this object. If it were to get in the hands of someone who wanted it for selfish needs, it will be a literal doomsday. And please take care not to drop, break, fracture, or damage it in any way. Nor must you open it. That would be catastrophic. _

_Ah, yes, please deliver this to this address below. They will know what to do with it._

_Truly yours,_

_Yuka_

Natsume pocketed the folded letter and took Mikan's hand after placing the metal cylinder into his backpack. "C'mon, we've found what we're looking for," he whispered. "Let's get out now." He tugged sharply on her arm, and she stumbled a bit.

"A-aren't you going a bit fast?" she panted. "Take your time!"

Natsume shot her a frenzied look. "Really," he whispered incredulously. "did you not notice? I've noticed them for a while out there, but it seems like they're making a move now…"

Mikan struggled to keep up with Natsume as they raced up the steps and through the hall. "W-what are you talking about?" she gasped. She jumped while Natsume wrapped a tight arm around her waist and kicked the front door open.

A blast of humid morning air slapped her in the face. Natsume twisted around and cursed under his breath when Mikan heard something whistle through the air.

"Oh, shi-!"

Natsume whipped up his arm and a rage of furious red and orange flared up and surrounded them. There was a loud sizzle as the projectile collided with the flames Natsume conjured up, and then a blinding flash as it combusted. They were thrown back with incredible force, skidding on the unkempt lawn.

There were several pairs of legs that appeared before them. Natsume and Mikan glared upwards at their new enemies who were clad in bullet proof vests and unisex white masks. The leader, most likely, was a person with a willowy build with cropped brown hair. Only when they spoke was when Natsume and Mikan figured out their gender.

"Well, well," said he in a seductive voice. "Looks like our squad wasn't needed after all. I presume you've found our prey?" He would've been smiling if they couldn't see his face.

Natsume nor Mikan answered. The leader made an impatient noise and snapped at one of the members, "You there! Take care of them." He folded his arms in one jerky movement and sighed despairingly. "Ah, just a few more months, then vacation…" He glanced yearningly toward the sky.

One of the members hesitantly grabbed Natsume roughly by the arm, but leapt back with a roar now that one of his black gloves was smoking and disintegrating into ashes. The leader "tsk"ed with disapproval and shook his head.

"Hm… yes, yes," he said slowly, staring at them from behind his mask. "Would you like to join us? Your safety would be guaranteed, along with your immediate family, of course. You even get pay-oof!"

The leader fell backward comically, and Natsume stared at Mikan incredulously. She had kicked the man forcefully in the solar plexus area.

"Nice," he mouthed, then looked straight forward at the man as he tried to pick himself up, now with his dignity bruised.

"B-brilliant," the leader wheezed, dusting himself off. His eyes hardened behind the mask. "Guess the deal's off then," he said casually, carefully hiding menace underneath the light tone of his voice. "What a shame." He glared at his squad, and with a swift movement, about a dozen guns were pointed at Natsume and Mikan's chests.

"Now," the leader purred in contentment, "how about that mass destruction weapon you got in your little bag?"

* * *

**Comment**: It's been so long! Sorry 'bout that!

Anyway, this is trivial, but I didn't know what the color of the Teleportation Alice stone was. Was it aquamarine? I couldn't remember.

Look forward to more chapters!


	9. Inferno

**Inferno**

Comment: Yes, if anyone was lost last chapter, here is an explanation. There seemed nothing of importance after Valentine's Day, so I skipped to the beginning of summer.

Anyway, back to the story…

* * *

Mikan struggled to keep her composure together. _Weapon of mass destruction? _The thought seemed only suited to an intense action movie and not the strangely sprawled scene before her. But eyeing the group of agent look-alikes with their foreboding black pistols pointed at their chests like target practice made Mikan unsure of what to believe.

Natsume hugged her tighter to him, and she winced from the hot, stifling waves of fury that rolled off his body. The tension was almost visible with his murderous intent. Mikan fought down a shiver when she remembered the frenzied crimson glow from his eyes as he called up the long smoldered embers of his rebellious youth.

"Well, well," the man chuckled, pocketing his gun on the side of his pants. "Might I chance a look at that container you possess?" His piercing eyes smiled when Natsume snarled in reply.

The leader then shrugged and sighed, "It's such a shame to have to annihilate such highly capable additions to our cause! What a waste." He chortled beneath his white mask as if he had just made a funny. "It's a tragic day for one with the Fire Alice, and one with both the Nullification and Stealing Alice."

_Our identities have been discovered! _Mikan thought in horror. _Do they plan on taking everything away from us like my mother? _She felt a wave of nausea consume her mind. It was painfully obvious what the outcome of this situation was. _Anzu is in danger!_

Her husband said nothing. Mikan decided to play dumb so that he could calculate their chances of escape.

"Weapon?" she said quizzically, attempting to look childishly innocent. "You must be mistaken." An angelic smile lit up her face, barely concealing the turmoil she was currently in.

The man before them sniggered with dark humor layering his voice. "What do you think we train for, Miss? Your act is transparent-even a fool could see that!" He then directed his attention to his gloves by slowly ripping the Velcro straps away, then pulled off each glove by removing one leather finger at a time with overdone slowness.

"Hmph, this is getting to be quite redundant," the leader drawled. He dropped his gloves carelessly onto the grass, and his subordinates remained a silent threat waiting in the wings. He raised his hands and stretched. "One thirty-seven SEC," he rattled off in a boredom, and the code momentarily mystified both Natsume and Mikan. They were caught off guard as their surroundings became a whirl of action.

Natsume was an invisible blur as he slung her onto his back and simultaneously threw up an inferno. The raging, hissing flames snapped at the onslaught of attacks; there were explosions and shouts above the heavy gray smoke that swirled in from every direction. Natsume cursed when his shoulder was clipped by a bullet, and a rivulet of blood dripped from his shirt onto Mikan.

"Get off, off!" he panted, sinking quickly into a crouch. The muddy and charred grass spun into Mikan's vision.

Mikan scrambled off his back and planted both hands in front of her with the palms facing outward. She squinted her eyes and willed her mind to come to a close. The running, blurring figures coming rapidly toward the pair were slowing down. They looked as if they were walking with exaggerated lengthening of their arms and legs.

Mikan felt a warm humming resonate in the air. It filled her body with an excited tingle. She and Natsume had practiced this new skill for a very long time. Day and night. Morning exercise. After dinner. Any time that Natsume and Mikan didn't have their hands full with taking care of Anzu. Since Anzu had gone off to the Academy, both parents had been depressed, and thus stopped the vigorous training. Even so, Mikan was anticipating what she could do with it.

The gently pushing pressure in the air and on her body gradually increased until it became unbearable. The enemies opposite her were in color, while all else was in shades of black and white. When she could see the whites of their eyes behind the disgusting unisex masks, she released the roiling pressure upon them.

A split second. Nothing more. Like a rubber band, an invisible barrier cracked from Mikan's hands and at the pursuers. Color came flooding back, painting the garish hues of the chase, destruction, and crazed desire. They fell back in horror and astonishment when their bones "mysteriously" snapped and fractured in various places.

Mikan felt a calloused hand grope around for hers while on the run, then when it found, grasped it tightly. Natsume's back was lined up with Mikan's. Even without looking, Mikan noticed the change within Natsume. Intuition told her that he had decided the outcome of this skirmish. It was blatantly obvious. That they were going to win.

His whisper was hoarse. And exhilarated. He had always liked to battle. "You take those five over there," Natsume breathed as the armed forces fell upon them.

Mikan nodded once, then let out a shriek. A war cry left her lips, and she leapt forward and attacked the nearest soldier. She didn't have many offensive skills besides her Nullification Alice (which was now considered offensive, as she could form a tangible barrier and whiplash it if necessary), but she did adopt some moves of several martial arts from Natsume, as he jumped from karate to tae kwon do to aikido. She was the unusual wife of the martial artist.

She felt the satisfying crunch of someone's ribs, despite the protective vest the person had worn, and felt empowered by the scalding heat radiating from behind. Mikan knew that on the other side, Natsume was roasting the opposition into oblivion. She chuckled as she knocked some poor guy beyond mind repair. His body would heal itself, but his mind…

A particularly bulky and nasty one came at Mikan. Her hands began to thrum again, not with the warmth from earlier. It was more of a hunger. Like it was calling out, crooning something to come forward. Mikan grimaced as she dodged the man's acid-coated knife and swiped the back of his vest with her hand.

There was an upsurge of power, and her head was momentarily blank as it coursed from the man to her hand, where it lay and coiled in protest. The man yelped and fell to the ground, then scrambled back toward his fellow mates. Mikan fell back to reality and realized that the thoroughly whupped squad members were quickly gathering into a loose, untidy circle. Natsume was trying to drive the others near the house, but they fled and somehow somersaulted away (looking much like an apostrophe and comma) and joined their group. If Natsume were willing, he could chase after them, but instead showed mercy.

Their leader looked displeased. Disheveled. And, well, indignant. Like he'd been humiliated and as a result scarred for life. His reputation at the "secret" headquarters of the "organization" would be ruined. No more promotions. No summer vacation. Perhaps demotion. Horror seemed to dawn on him. Mr. Head Hauncho was a drama queen.

"R-retreat!" he yelled, his voice dripping in oily shame. He whipped toward the equally tired Natsume and Mikan and jabbed rudely with his pink index finger. "You'll come to respect us, no, fear us someday!"

And with that, there was a bang and a flash, and after the smoke cleared out and the couple coughed their lungs out, they were gone.

Natsume hugged Mikan tightly from behind. "You alright? Are you hurt anywhere?" His chin was propped on her shoulder and his warm breath tickled her ear. Natsume's arm dropped and took Mikan's tightly clenched fist. His eyebrows furrowed in vexation as he tried to smooth out the tendons of her balled hand. "Mikan?" he asked, slightly concerned.

She started and jumped slightly. Mikan mumbled sorry profusely; she had bumped Natsume's chin. "I'm good. But…" She brought the fist up to her face. Was she holding something of utter importance?

She allowed Natsume to smooth out her fingers and when he did, a tiny kaleidoscope of colors threw shards of light everywhere. In her palm was a myriad of differently colored Alice stones. Some were pebble-sized. Most were slightly bigger. And one was enough to fit the entire surface area of the palm and threatened to push the others into space and tumble onto the grass.

"What _is_ all this?" Natsume choked, his eyes widening at the sight of the beautifully gleaming stolen jewels. "Why are there so many Alices? You stole all these from the group?"

Mikan shook her head. Her hand automatically closed up, and she couldn't see the illegal goods anymore. "No. Actually," she said heavily, feeling the weight of her words, "these are all from a single person."

The meaningful silence was broken by the occasional electrical spark in the distance. Their thoughts could be interpreted into three words.

_Illegal Alice stealing._


	10. Ankoku Tengoku

**Chapter 10: Ankoku Tengoku**

In the faint light cast by the vivid, white orb in the sky, there stood a long limbed woman. She was impeccably clothed, in smooth, dark pants and a flowing gray halter top blouse. On her feet were black stiletto heeled boots. And they were sharp. Just like her canine teeth. They rested on her perfect cherry red bottom lip in quivery anticipation.

"It's almost time," she purred, tilting her head to savor the cool breeze of summer. Footsteps could be heard not too far behind her. Another set of footfalls padded from the other side, sporadic-like and impatient. A young boy and girl of around their early teens joined the woman basking in the moonlight. The boy was of a tiny frame, balancing precariously on the edge of unhealthy. His face was gaunt, and his eyes were dull, like his black eyes, but the energetic girl beside him balanced the both of them out.

The girl shook out her copper hair and sulked, her lip jutting out at the same time. "I'm tired of this," she complained in a low, husky tone. It was unfitting for her age, but not unattractive. "Can't we just bust in there already?" Her whiny tone provoked an irritated spark in the boy's eye, but he said nothing.

A whispery laugh tickled the air. "So impatient, little one," the woman said with a red-lipsticked smile. She pinched the girl's nose in a motherly way. "Your impulsiveness will get you caught."

"Yes, M'aam," said the boy reverently, the quick response like "amen" interjected every few words in church. The woman pealed laughter again.

"I hope you have those reports ready, Isamu." On the boy's face was a shadow of doubt, however. Disappointment colored the woman's tone. "What, you don't have them?"

"No—"

"'No, M'aam,'" she corrected.

"No, M'aam," the boy grunted heavily, avoiding the direct, overpowering gaze of the strange lady. "The squad hasn't returned yet. I got wind of Squad 0001, at least. They ransacked the home of an old associate of the target, but returned with nothing but these…" Isamu pulled out from his overlarge, dirty evergreen hoody a thick office folder jammed with stapled packets of paper. The woman outstretched her hand with a quirk of her mouth, then knocked the file out of Isamu's hand. Isamu staggered back in astonishment. The girl hid a snicker in the warm muffler casually tossed around her neck.

Loose papers fluttered from a few feet above their heads, falling in a white plume of information: scribbles, codes, maps, contact information. It collected in messy piles around their feet in silence, and the two younger disciples stood in bewilderment until the woman smiled sweetly.

"Not necessary," she cooed, waving her hand daintily. "I already know the grounds of the academy. All we need is more forces, more followers, and ultimately more power. And to get those things, I need you to bring me—no matter what dirty means you use—_that_." Her delicately slanted eyes glared at each of them. "Understood?"

"Yes, M'aam," and "Yep!" came respectively.

"It's 'Yes, M'aam,' Kae."

"Yes… Espera-sama," chirruped the girl, and she dodged a half-hearted swing of the arm from the woman. A grin spread on her dirt-streaked face and she stood stick straight. She tried to put on a stoic expression with some difficulty.

Espera sighed and pinched the skin between her eyes, a usual sign that she was exhausted for the day. "Alright, Kae, don't make this difficult. Did any of your men make any progress?"

Kae said through pinched lips (ridiculously holding back a snicker), "I've received a text from them—" The girl's hand rummaged in her thin, brown jacket and pulled out a much-abused cell phone—"from three days ago. Oh, and I already cracked the code, so don't worry about the cops, yeah?" Kae laughed breezily in response to the dubious set of Isamu's mouth and the wary-eyed look of Espera. "Anyway, it says:

We tracked down the old scientist

by the name of Satoru Taniguchi-

Kae: " 'Scuse me, they're British,

they've got the name switched around.

Anyway…"

But the old coot's apartment

is long cleaned out.

It seems he died

of unknown causes.

We've learned, however,

that he shared some

of his studies with

his son, Hiroki Taniguchi,

and we're on the way

to his laboratory.

-William

Kae smirked. "Here," she said, and chucked the cell toward Espera. The thin device whistled through the air and came to an abrupt and abnormal stop inches away from the woman's shirt. It hung suspended for a second, then lowered slowly into the upturned palms of her hands.

"Thank you, Isamu," Espera sniffed distastefully, plucking spider-web threads from the thin phone. Kae shot him a dirty look, and Isamu shrugged nonchalantly.

Espera scanned the illuminated cell phone screen, and a smile radiated on her face. She returned the phone to Kae by hand, then swiftly ran a short distance and easily clambered up to the top of the scraggly wire fence and stood facing the bright, luminous moon. She never swayed a bit, even if the wind turned and buffeted her harder than before.

Kae and Isamu stood at attention when Espera did a sharp salute. The dark curtain of Espera's heavy hair swayed in the light breeze, and her silhouette was outlined in silver.

"Repeat after me:

We are the sun to break the dark clouds

We are the moon to seduce dreams

We are the black pearled dahlia to embrace the grave

We are the blood that fills Hades' veins

We are the Elysians who welcome all

We are the solace for those who fall

Hara sk chovst kavunoir a pur

Kwir za seer mal npima gir

Sakz unam medlg arzg nm…

* * *

Classroom 2-A

There was the screech of pasty chalk on the black board as Narumi's hand swiftly wrote out what they needed to study for the test the next day. Anzu, after staring out the window, tuning out Narumi's tenor voice and basking in the summer sun, was nodding off. Her elbow was propped on the table, and drool was dribbling down the side of her chin. Maiko, intensely disgusted, slowly nudged her farther and farther away, using her hand-me-down sheep bag as a buffer.

"Yes, what you'll need to know is your conjugations of all the kanji we learned the last two weeks, and how to write them correctly," Narumi said, wiping the white dust from his hands with a big smile. A groan rippled through out the class and the blond man chuckled. "Don't think of it as a test," he said with a cheesy wink, provoking a few laughs. "It's a _performance opportunity_."

At that moment, there was a big, dramatic _whump!_ on the floor. A collective gasp came from the students. Heads turned to look curiously at the back of the classroom. Anzu was sprawled on the floor, rubbing her bottom.

"Oww, that was mean, Maiko-chan," she growled. "I was having a nice dream too…" Anzu gasped when raucous laughter erupted around the room. Narumi was shaking his head disapprovingly, but he had a smirk on his face. Naruse had his head buried deep in a book, having ignored Narumi's talking, but then slammed it shut.

"Hmph, stupid," he muttered with a roll of his eyes.

Anzu continued to berate Maiko with students' laughter ringing in her ears. "Ahh, that was so mean! You shoulda poked me awake!"

"Ew, and get your slobber all over my hand? No thanks," Maiko said coolly, then added, "you dog. Now, why don't you lie down and roll over? I'll even be nice and rub your belly."

"Nooo, I won't do something so weird! I'll hit you… With this—this book!" Anzu held a heavy history textbook high above her head threateningly. It was so heavy that she had a hard time keeping her balance.

Narumi waved his hands, trying to calm down the excited students chanting, _fight, fight! _"Hey, hey," he said frantically, "don't resort to violence!"

Amid the chaos was a clamor from the tall mahogany wood double doors. "Narumi!" shouted a black-haired and lightly tanned faculty member. It was Misaki, the biology teacher. His voice sounded hoarse.

Narumi waved his hands at his colleague without tearing his eyes from the scene. "Kinda busy," he said, looking alarmed when Maiko stood up and accepted Anzu's challenge.

"Narumi," growled Misaki, roughly shaking Narumi's shoulder. "Serina spotted something in her crystal ball and found Class 2-B's Shimizu Rokuro." Narumi saw the way his dark eyes were twitching and instantly knew it wasn't something good.

Suzuki was cheering on Anzu's bad attempts at hitting Maiko when he stopped to listen to Misaki's thoughts. His eyes widened when he heard what Misaki said, both in mind and to Narumi.

"They found the boy, they found him… alone in the woods…"

_Dead. It looked like he committed suicide._

A shiver ran down Suzuki's spine. His mouth fell slack, no longer yelling "Go Anzu!" Several of his friends, including Axel, eyed him with concern.

Narumi was stricken with grief and pain. "No! But he wasn't the type to do that kind of thing!"

Misaki hissed in a low voice, "We don't have time to talk about this, Narumi. We have to go into the Northern forest. Serina and Jinno and the others are already there." He shoved Narumi towards his counter, where everyone could see him. "Go on! Excuse yourself, and let's go."

Narumi coughed quickly into his hand. It was still noisy in the back of the room. A cheer went up when Anzu got in a hit on Maiko's arm. He coughed louder, and everyone instantly fell silent. "Um, class," he laughed uneasily, his voice going up strangely on _class. _"I have business to attend to, so this period has been turned into a study hall until I or another teacher returns!" Then he rushed quickly out of the room, and followed impatient Misaki down the hall.

The class was quiet for a bit, but of course, someone had to interrupt it with, "Hey, it's quiet in here. _Awkward._" There were a few giggles at this. Another student yelled, "Hey, let's go back to the fight!"

Anzu lugged the history book onto her desk and flopped herself into her seat on the wooden bench. "No way," she sighed. "My muscles hurt. No more fighting." Anzu pretended to wave a white flag in the air.

Maria laughed and teased, "Like you have muscles!" Nakao backed this with a toothy grin.

"Hey, not you guys too? Geez, so mean…"

The class separated into their close groups of friends. Gathered in one large clump was Maria, Nakao, Maiko, Anzu, Axel, Suzuki, and Hoshino. Naruse was a bit off, but included somewhat by some strange invisible bond stretching across the aisle, insisted by Anzu, and pretty much no one else. Anzu struck up a conversation about the upcoming long-awaited Cultural Festival, armed with a mouth full of questions, but Maiko was zoning out. She probed Suzuki's emotions, having noticed earlier his strange expression, and found something much interesting than this unproductive study hall.

"Dandandan dan…" Maiko said, attempting to translate drum noises into words, but failing miserably. Either way, everyone in their group knew what she was trying to say, because she made tapping noises on the desk with two fingers, though in a very off-beat manner.

"Let's go spy on Narumi," she announced calmly. Maiko glanced purposely at Suzuki. He grimaced.

"Well, got nothing better to do," sighed Anzu with her head buried in her arms. She sprung up and jumped off the bench. "Let's go!"

Together, they all slunk out of the classroom (Anzu clawed the book out of Naruse's hands and shoved him out the door) without anyone noticing. Off on an adventure, no one but Maiko and Suzuki had an idea what had happened.

* * *

Note: The title of this chapter, Ankoku Tengoku, means Dark Heaven. :) It was from the opening song of Kamichama Karin.


	11. You Told a Lie

**Chapter 11: You Told A Lie**

A light buzz from happily busy bees filled the sweltering, hot air. Suzuki and Axel led the little adventurous group of mischievous students down a small path in the grass. Anzu swiveled her head in a near 360 as she tried to absorb every little detail of the outdoors. It had been such a long time since Hareta had snuck her out of the luxurious, air-conditioned Alice Academy buildings. Every Thursday and Saturday, they would hurry and buy lunches, scarf the edible things they couldn't transport (like soup), and meet each other outside secretly by their little gazebo.

Anzu's eyes glazed happily when she spotted a dandelion puff that Maiko passed. She stooped down and plucked it mercilessly from the ground. Milky sap coated the bottom of the stem, and she smiled as she touched it with her finger. Anzu held it close to her chest, as if she had just acquired a treasure. In jest, Maiko deviously blew on the seeds.

"You meanie!"

"_Baka."_

Suzuki and Axel simultaneously spun around and glared at them.

"_Shhhh!"_

Anzu pouted, and held the lifeless stem in her right hand. She then waved to Naruse, then Maria and Nakao, for good measure. Even gloomy and self-conscious Hoshino received a googly-eyed reception from Anzu. Maiko's mouth turned downward, and she leaned in toward Anzu's ear.

"Did you forget the scary face that Misaki-sensei had?" she breathed into her ear. Anzu fought down a laugh. It felt really tickly. "Up ahead there's definitely something bad, or at least wrong." Her face indicated to Anzu that she knew more than she was saying.

Anzu shook her head and dropped her gaze to her fingers. "But because there's something scary, someone should be at least happy, right?" she whispered, her smile not reflecting her quivering heart.

Maiko stared straight into her eyes. They had both stopped in the path, facing each other while the others continued on ahead, as they were unaware of their conversation. Naruse, on the other hand, paused to study the situation, then shuffled away with the rest of the group. Good thing he was smart.

"Where did you learn that?"

"Uhm… what do you mean?"

Maiko's eyes softened, and she ruffled Anzu's hair. "Nothing," she said with a smile. Conversation closed. Anzu pondered the bewildering words that had happened between them, then easily dismissed it as she spotted another dandelion puff.

Ironically, the star of the trip was Naruse, who was asked to clear the rest of the way for the whole group. A tangle of branches and leaves obstructed their path, which, Suzuki insisted (along with the back up of Maiko) was still in the direction that the two teachers had gone.

"No way," the isolated boy said brusquely. "Go around it."

Annoyed, Axel replied, "That'll take too long. Even Fukutan-sensei would notice our absence."

A wave of hostility between the two was almost visible. "Fukutan wasn't there when we left," retorted Naruse.

"Well, maybe another teacher left him in charge," Axel said falteringly, his tongue stumbling in anger. "Either way, clear it out, since only you out of all of us actually has an offensive Alice." Hoshino got stiff at this one. Everyone probably didn't know he had the ability to produce weapons from a drop of his blood. Anzu glanced at him pityingly. _Poor guy._

Naruse growled an incomprehensible string of curse words, then grudgingly faced the behemoth undergrowth. In his right hand immediately grew out an ice shard, so clear that it could have been mistaken for glass. A chilling, translucent mist swirled around his hand, which, to Anzu, looked similar to the frosty air coming out of a freezer.

The shard grew vertically at an alarming rate. Its length reached a yard until Naruse willed it to stop. Suzuki and the others hung behind him warily, and watched Naruse slice the wild mess. Strangely enough, the ice sword with its sharp edge didn't cut a thing. But it was as if the sun had become a huge light bulb, and suddenly turned down its beaming light on the branches.

"Oh yeah," Naruse said with slight surprise. "Anzu, can you step back?"

Anzu jumped in alarm. Everyone else was annoyed, and thought the same thing: _Don't pretend we aren't here!_

Naruse lifted his leg and kicked out at a branch. There was an odd crunch sound, followed by a session of loud cracks. Leaves began to crumple and branches exploded with a sound like breaking glass. Then the whole undergrowth dropped with a dramatic _BOOM_, with the result of a neat little hole in the forest.

Maria and Nakao clapped. Anzu cheered. Maiko and the three boys balked, but in the end, everyone stepped through the hole.

"Okay, so now where?" said Hoshino quietly. He was drawing "The Nogi Theory of Evolution" in the dirt with a stick. The stick figures looked comical with their lolling tongues. Clearly he wasn't intending on going back to the classroom any time soon.

A finger pointed to a slight right, just beyond a point where the dirt path rounded a corner. "Over there," Suzuki announced confidently. "We're really close. I can hear their thoughts."

Axel added, "No more talking at this point. We have to be quiet, or we'll get caught." Everyone nodded silently and obediently, then glided soundlessly through the forest.

* * *

"Ah, there they are!"

"Shhh…"

Several hands pulled back some leaves to reveal a most grave atmosphere between a rather large group of teachers. Their voices were hushed, and most irritatingly, their backs were covering whatever they were gathered around.

"Suzuki, will you translate, please?"

The boy in question threw a wink. "Sure, sure," he laughed quietly. His smile evaporated as he concentrated what was being said. He began to speak in a low voice.

"Shimizu Rokuro was such a fine student. This is impossible to believe."

"Perhaps he had his reasons…?"

"No, he was never like that. He always wore such a bright expression to class."

Suzuki tried to imitate a woman crying. Most likely Serena. The others, in particular, Axel, looked at him strangely. "B-b-but, he's so young too…"

"Shall we call authorities to handle the situation? Maybe it wasn't a suicide. Someone just as easily could have slipped a noose around his neck-"

Everyone in the group, with the exception of Maiko and Suzuki froze with shock. The moment they had stepped out of the school had thrust them into danger. It was a realization that crept over them, akin to a paranoia of bugs crawling down a person's back. The campus wasn't as safe as it ought to be, considering the fine amount of security watch, cameras, and round-the-clock eye on the electrifying black iron fence called the front gate. What had happened? Whose innocence was lost? The culprit? What had gone wrong?

Nakao, with a sickly pallor, tugged on Suzuki's sleeve. "Let's go inside."

Suzuki shook off her hand and his stupor. It was obvious that he could see Shimizu Rokuro's decaying body in his mind's eye. "Yeah, that sounds good…"

Maiko stood up abruptly, with eyes red and streaming with tears. She didn't bother to wipe them as she nudged Suzuki aside.

"Oy, _Imouto_!"

Maiko turned slowly to face her brother, Hoshino. He wore a frightened expression.

"What are you doing? Don't tell me you're going over there!" he cried. It was the first time Anzu had ever seen him so disturbed, and a startling change from his indifferent nature by default.

His sister halted in her tracks and turned to face him. A smile lit up her face, but it looked odd with her tears. "You're stupid," Maiko laughed, "as always." Either way, she stepped through the undergrowth separating the group of eight from the teachers without any hesitation.

A ripple of shock went through the loose, quiet group of teachers as they turned to see a small girl in uniform emerging from the bushes. Narumi showed a mix of disappointment and anger, for she was one of his best students.

"Maiko-chan, just _what _are you doing here?" he snapped. Narumi promptly crossed his arms and glared at his student. "For one thing, this is a restricted area. You could've gotten injured or killed! Especially with whatever is lurking around lately. Surely you of all people would know that there's been a security breach?" Narumi continued spewing furious words at Maiko while the other teachers whispered quietly.

_My, my, what is this student doing here? _

_It seems Narumi's word doesn't have enough authority to control his class…_

_Ara, isn't that Nogi Maiko from Class 1A? What has the world come to?_

She tilted her head up to blink at her teacher with an air of surprise, and her mouth formed a little o. Anzu swore that the tears on her friend's face had instantly dried once she faced the heat from Narumi and the critical stares from the other adults. Then, to Anzu's utter surprise, Maiko gave a cool smile, and turned sharply away from the teachers in a brusque and silent manner.

_M-M-Maiko-chan… what is up with you today and jokes? _she thought. Anzu clutched her hands to her heart. The poor organ was beating rapidly under her shirt. It had seemed certain that Maiko would've been expelled from Alice Academy instantly once she set foot into the little sunny clearing. Now everyone was waiting and watching with the knowledge of some larger, but different consequence…

"Sh-!" Hoshino dashed through the bushes to the teachers with a breathy curse. Suzuki glanced at Axel for a split second, then followed Hoshino's stunning example. Soon, everyone was heading through the bushes, leaving a confused and befuddled Anzu twiddling her thumbs.

Anzu twisted around in a flurry of panic. _What? W-w-what? _No one was left by her side. She was alone in the shelter of leaves and twigs. Anzu tried to squint through the little spaces in the undergrowth. _Everyone… Should I go too? _Personally, Anzu was worried for Maiko, since it was natural to feel anxiety when one's life at the school was at stake, but she felt no strong need to barge through the bushes to get busted like the others. Anzu deliberated and made all kinds of pondering gestures, including cupping her chin, twisting her hair around her finger, and nudging some rocks with her shoes.

_Ohhh, whatever! _Anzu started to go through the undergrowth, which was unexpectedly a formidable foe. Her arm got caught between two branches of a single tree. _Agh, how did everyone fly out there so fast… _she thought with a hint of annoyance. But eventually her clumsy stumbling reached the edge of the tiny clearing when she heard a most startling sound.

A short-lived shriek ripped through Anzu's body, setting her heart to climb a dangerous high. _Maiko! _In a flash, she didn't care whether or not the teachers scolded or charged her with expulsion. The most important thing in her eyes was her friend and roommate, Nogi Maiko, who was now crumpled on the ground in a lifeless heap in front of Shimizu Rokuro's putrefied body.

"No!" Anzu hurdled to Maiko's side and violently shook her shoulder. "Maiko! Maiko!" Anzu hurriedly turned the girl's face. Maiko's eyes were still open, but they were glazed and unseeing. From her mouth dripped saliva and foam.

_Wha…_

The alarming image of Maiko and the thought, _She's dead?_ was the last thing burned onto her faltering heart before the roof of the world caved in.

* * *

When Maiko opened her eyes, she was where she expected to be. Everything was white and void of color, with the exception of the gray gauze wrapped around her chest. Her body felt heavy, and she knew that she was bruised too, remembering that she had fallen hard on a patch of grass and rock. She struggled to sit up, but a plethora of plastic tubes were attached to what seemed every inch of her body. Still, a strained effort was made to shift herself in the high hospital bed. Lying down always made her breathing shallow and the air smell of chlorine.

"Hey, hey, hey, you don't want your IV's to all detach and set an alarm off, do you?" A boy with familiar half-spiky and half-soft hair appeared like a shadow ninja with a scornful look.

Maiko stared at Suzuki and directly felt a powerful wave of annoyance and anger from him. She remained silent as he fussed with her blankets and pillows, and even with the mountain of gifts on the bedside table.

"Why are _you_ here?" she asked with doubts as to what it could be.

Suzuki didn't respond right away. With a gentle touch of his finger, he shifted a sunflower in its enormous bouquet then read the tag. Maiko couldn't see his expression, but a fresh and more powerful wave of anger smashed against her side.

"Why are _you_ here?" he shot back. Suzuki turned to face her bitterly and a tension held the air. "Even though I'm a mind reader, I have no clue what you're thinking right now!" When Maiko continued to say nothing, he lost his temper and went on madly. "You think you can protect everyone? Even though this is all a lie? You can't deceive me, but you can pull the wool over everyone's eyes. Even Anzu."

The girl clenched the white cotton sheets of her bed with her eyes only on her hands. "It isn't any of your… concern."

Suzuki violently grabbed her shirt. The gauze around her chest almost unwrapped, and she gasped, not in pain, but in surprise. "Like hell it is!" he roared. "No one knows these things! Why do I need to keep them? If there were no secrets, there should be no problems! What is your deal?"

Maiko was shaken by this Suzuki. She had always assumed he was a carefree boy with no personality that would interfere in her orders, but kept careful tabs on her thoughts around him. It seemed that she was wrong.

"That is confidential information, and either way, it doesn't affect you," she said calmly, but with increasing uneasiness. "Now let go of my shirt. I can't breathe."

Suzuki snatched his hand back, but the hostility was still there.

"You won't tell anyone about your …condition." A statement, not a question.

"No."

Apprehension crept onto his face, and Maiko knew it too. Too bad for him then, because he was going to be let down.

"Even Anzu?"

Maiko smiled and shook her head. "No," she said slowly, and Suzuki's confidence crumbled, "but why do you keep bringing her up?" Her smile spread wider, for the topic had gone in a different direction than Suzuki intended. And as an added plus, Suzuki jumped in nervousness.

"What, no! That's because…"

Maiko's eyes hardened. "You like her?"

Suzuki was pretty bad at denying it. "…..What…"

She laughed shrilly. It was so easy to get things to go in her favor. She didn't need Suzuki butting into her business, much less her official orders. "But Axel doesn't know. Which is weird, since you two are stuck like glue."

Suzuki ground his teeth in frustration, his cheeks slightly flushed. "No, not yet, and he probably never will." He shook his head angrily. "Anyway, I will definitely tell Anzu your secret if you don't spill it soon!"

This time, Maiko grabbed Suzuki's shirt, and for a moment, Suzuki's mind wiped blank. "You better not," she said ominously in a voice that shouldn't belong to a young girl. The poisonous light behind her eyes was not a trick.

Suzuki threw off her hand and straightened his shirt, and made an edge toward the door of the hospital room. He glared at her. "I _will _do it. And you'll have an answer for me and everyone else, Nogi Maiko."

He strode out of the room, but lingered by the door.

"Or is that even your name?" he inquired scathingly.

Maiko returned this with a cold smile.

* * *

**Author Note**: Ahhh, I am so sorry for all the waiting! The truth is, I was really caught up with school, then I couldn't remember my password and stuff. Yeah... that was it. xD I'm still really sorry! :x

* "The Nogi Theory of Evolution" might've gotten you confused. It's based on my friend's stick figure evolution thingy... Basically, the figure on the far left is a on the ground flat. And somehow it progress to a normal stick figure we know as man. Pretty weird, but funny. Hoshino was just really... bored.

* _Imouto_ means little sister! And yes, Hoshino is slightly older than Maiko, as mentioned in... chapter 2 or 3?

Ahhh, again, I'm sorry for the wait... O3O Please comment if you'd like! xD


	12. Ghost Encounter

**Naruse x Anzu: Ghost Encounter!**

**Author Note: **Yoohoo! whitedove here. Err... this marks the beginning of on onslaught of fluffs. A fluff, in my sense, is just a chapter that can't fit in the regular story line. Since I'm stuck on the current plot, here is my form of "sorry" (hahaha). ...(sweat) ^^;;; I hope you find it cute and entertaining. Oh, but this "ghost encounter" is split into two chapters, and this is the first, so... yeah. ^-^

* * *

I love you. I want to see you.

Do you hear

The melancholy of my heart?

Anzu muffled her own cry of surprise and hid behind a wall. _Oh my gosh, w-what am I seeing? _she thought with a blushing face.

"I-I love you!" cried a voice. It was certain that it belonged to a shy boy; his vocal cords seemed strained. He certainly looked like one: blushing face, evading eyes, a strange habit of fidgeting with his tie. _It must be his first time raising his voice! _Anzu said to herself with a giggle. _Love is interesting, isn't it…_

She couldn't see the girl's reaction, sadly, but Anzu guessed that she was either so happy that she couldn't say anything, or so shocked that she couldn't say anything. Anzu clasped her hands together in a quick prayer to Kamisama. _Please be a good ending, please be a good ending! _

The girl spoke up; her voice choked with emotion. "How did you know?" Anzu peeked around the wall, hoping that she wouldn't be noticed, but to her surprise, no one was there. Where the girl and boy had been standing- in this case, under the shade of a Japanese maple- was un-occupied. Mystified, Anzu zipped from her hiding spot and waved the air where she had seen the confession.

"Huh?" Anzu let out like a whimper and slumped to the floor. She brushed the spot of grass where the boy had stood. No signs of disturbed or bent grass at all.

_W-w-what just happened? That couldn't have been… spirits, right? _She began to laugh at herself strangely, then started shaking. _Yeah, those two are teleporting senpai…_

Anzu scrambled to her feet and toddled to class with a headache.

_I. Saw. Nothing!_

* * *

At lunch, Maria viciously stabbed the pork chop on her platter. The three other girls, Maiko, Nakao, and Anzu were startled out of their conversation about privately celebrating one of their birthdays.

"Something the matter?" Nakao asked her closest friend, while putting a gentle hand on Maria's clenched fist. "Please put down the knife before someone gets hurt…"

Maria sighed deeply. She placed the steak knife down by her fork and began to get up. "I want to fall in love soon…" she lamented with a hung head.

Anzu spewed her soup. _Woah, that scared me, _she thought whilst Maiko pounded on her back unnecessarily. _I thought I forgot about that confession… _

"We're young, but that doesn't mean we're not interested in other guys, right?" Maria said to her lap. The other girls agreed; Maiko did it reluctantly, as she held no interest in such things. In fact, she looked a little ill at the mention of liking who and who.

"But, you know," Maria said with a sad smile, "I've liked a few boys… but it doesn't feel right." She laughed without humor. "Hahaha. I suck." Maria poked a few things left on her plate with her finger to hide her tears from her friends. Nakao and Anzu began to feel uncomfortable: should they console Maria, or leave her alone? The decision was overwhelming. On the other hand, Maiko turned her head to the side and twisted a lock of her hair around her finger while listening to Maria's emotions.

_There is a sad type of love confession too, huh? _

Anzu made a "fight-o" gesture with both fists and glared at Maria with determination. "What is this?" she cried loudly, knowing full well how ridiculous she sounded. "This isn't the Maria I know!" She clambered onto her bench and stood high above the dining table. A few people were shocked, but Anzu ignored her blush of embarrassment. "Maria-chan is kind, cute, and spunky! You will find it someday! That person who belongs to you only. Why are you in such a rush to find love? Isn't it sudden? We're only in elementary, it's normal, isn't it? In other words, you are being weird!"

Weird, in Anzu's respect, doesn't come with a negative connotation. Whenever she says it, it means unusual. But she never says it with spite. Weird, to her, is mysterious, confusing, questionable, and thought-provoking. But, this is Anzu being talked about, so all vocabulary in her mind can be twisted to her own taste.

Maria raised her head, her eyes shining with tears, matching with Anzu's overflowing eyes. "Anzu-chan-"

**ZAP! **A lightning bolt fried a small spot on their table, and a surprised Anzu fell off the bench.

"Hyuuga Anzu," roared Jinno-sensei from across the dining hall, "I'll have you down a rank if you pull a stunt like that again!" Laughter erupted from all the student tables.

Shock crippled the girl in question. "No way!" Anzu whimpered.

Maria gave her an awkward hug from across the table. "Thanks for the cheer-up," she whispered. Even though she had just shed a few tears, Maria wore a relieved smile. Anzu perked up instantly, getting all emotional again.

While the group of girls laughed amongst themselves, a tall girl with lonely eyes in a faded uniform smiled a tender smile as she looked on. She ran a hand through her curtain of hair, stole a glance at the girls again, then dissolved through the wall.

* * *

Anzu crept gladly into bed after the night classes and duties. "Ahh, I'm so tired," she yawned, then reached out a hand to turn off the lamp on the small table that she and Maiko shared between their beds. Maiko giggled as she hugged her pillow.

"Nite, Maiko-chan."

"Goodnight, Anzu."

She fell into a deep sleep almost instantly, which Nakao once mentioned she envied; she could never sleep due to lots of spiritual and worldly thinking before bed. Unknown to Anzu, a translucent hand emerged from the curtained window, then a whole arm, and eventually a whole body.

It belonged to the tall girl from the cafeteria, and she smiled on as Anzu mumbled in her sleep.

"Gambatte, Maria-chan…" At this, the spirit laughed.

Suddenly Maiko sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes until they opened wide. "This presence?" she said in a low voice. She sat straighter in bed. "Is someone here?"

In alarm, the spirit gasped. But she realized with relief that Maiko could not see spirits, but only sensed her loneliness. She watched Maiko warily eye the dark surroundings, then slip back under the covers. The ghost then breathed a sigh and placed her hand on Anzu's forehead with a lonely, sad smile. 

_Forgive me, young one. This might feel a little strange, but I assure you, you will come to no harm._

* * *

Maiko hurriedly grabbed her shirt and skirt and threw them on. "Oy, Anzu!" she cried while struggling with her clothes. "It's morning, and breakfast's almost over! Wake up!" She lightly poked the scrunched up bundle of white bed sheets with one of Anzu's body pillows. "Hello? I said, 'Wake up, baka!'"

Anzu sat up; underneath her eyes were dark circles. Around her waist was a swath of messy bedding. Maiko cupped her face with scrutinizing eyes. "What's this? Didn't you sleep?"

In reply, Anzu yawned. "Gomen, I was just too excited for today…"

Maiko looked at her strangely. "Excited? I can tell." She frowned, thinking. "About what? Today is Thursday."

Anzu covered her face timidly and blushed. "Err… uh… it's a secret," she said shyly. She began to yank a hairbrush through the snarls in her hair. Maiko stared at her.

_She's acting unusual today, _Maiko thought suspiciously while slipping on her socks.

* * *

Anzu's eyes popped open from the pain of an enormous headache. "Owch," she said, and reached a hand to the back of her head, then her forehead. "Did I fall?" She noticed that her backside was wet, and propped herself to a sitting position to discover that she had lain in a shallow, but wide, pool of water.

"Where am I?" she said aloud. Her voice echoed distantly in the gray colored sky. The only things it seemed she was talking to were the streaky white clouds slowly pacing up above. Around Anzu there was nothing else but those two things.

"Hmm," Anzu mused, scratching her head. "It's kinda… boring in here, isn't it, Cloud-chan?" She laughed, a high ringing echo, at her silliness. "Do you get bored too?"

* * *

The two girls met up with Axel and Suzuki in the hallway. Maiko and Axel conversed about items they wanted to buy on their day off, while Suzuki played with Anzu.

"Hug!" Suzuki snickered while glomping on Anzu from behind.

"Kyah!" she cried, then wriggled out of his grasp. "Bad, Suzuki-kun, bad! W-w-what are you doing?" Anzu waved her hand as if to karate-chop him.

Suzuki pretended to be fatally wounded, and grasped his shirt as if bleeding then fell to the ground. "Ohh, it hurts! You make me the evil guy, don'tcha?"

Anzu blushed. "Gomen, I didn't mean it…"

Axel and Maiko stared. Suzuki was surprised!

"Huh?" he laughed nervously. Anzu's shy expression caught him off guard! One hit KO! "Haha, Anzu-chan's funny today!" He looked closer at Anzu's face. "Are you sleepy?"

She shook her head furiously. _Danger, danger! _she thought quickly. _My heart belongs to only one person, please don't steal it! _

Maiko made a note of this strange behavior, and so did Suzuki.

**"Whaaat!"** Suzuki blushed, having heard Anzu's thoughts. He began to edge backwards. His only way of covering up the situation: escape. "Err… I'm going ahead, see ya!" He gently punched Axel's shoulder and raced up the hall with a flushed face.

Maiko glared at her shoes. Anzu would never behave in such a manner. This scenario had occurred a few times, what with Suzuki's "magical" ability to appear out of nowhere and scare the wits out of people. However, Anzu was always very happy to see him, and never startled at all to find him suddenly walking and chatting right next to her. Anzu would definitely not yell "kyah", and try to punish Suzuki, her amusing, talkative friend. Suzuki is a guy, yes, but not in the romantic sense. So why the sudden flare-up of panic and _dokidoki_? Besides, it wasn't like her to leave Suzuki with the last word; usually she had a witty or funny response to throw out. A better response would be, "You, a villain? Ha!"

The empath gasped, and hit her fist to her palm. Maiko had reached a conclusion.

**_That person is not Anzu._**

Axel looked bewildered as he looked between a focused Maiko and a flushing Anzu. He tapped his finger to his chin, then shrugged.

* * *

It might seem a little confusing... I guess that's the bad thing about splitting things into two parts, huh... (urgh) Too bad no Naruse x Anzu action here yet. :/ Lol, but earlier I accidentally typed **Natsume x Anzu**... *-* Woah buddy. I fixed it now, so everything's fine. xD


	13. Maiko Anzu

**Hello everyone! ^^ It's whitedove (finally). Uhm, I'm pretty aware that a lot of people would like to throw a basket of gooshy tomatoes and, if you've watched the news, cantaloupes, at me. ^^; Ahahaha… Yes, so call me a liar if you will (since I said I'd be updating more frequently since the start of school). Forgive me! Anyhoo, I'm taking too much space, so here… oh, and I will continue the previous fluff later. Uh… I think fluffs are difficult…**

**And this is about Maiko and Hoshino when they first meet Anzu… it'll be in two parts, cuz it came out longer than I expected… ^^;;;**

* * *

**Chapter 13: Maiko Anzu**

_Maiko._

_Maiko._

"_Maiko_, are you listening to me?"

The little girl with the amethyst eyes peeked through a curtain of dark hair and squinted at the woman who hovered above her with a pair of gleaming scissors. Maiko squinted at her in annoyance. "God, Mom!" she said, while wincing at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, "can we stop with these hair extensions? They're a pain in the butt." She puffed angrily at the strands tickling her nose.

Hotaru beared down and dropped the scissors on Maiko's head. It looked like an ordinary pair of scissors, but despite this, it sprouted tiny chrome legs and arms and crawled in and out of Maiko's hair and snipped away at an amazing speed.

Thin, dark slices and strands drifted to the floor as Maiko gripped the chair and bit her lip to prevent from crying out. While this was going on, Hotaru crossed her arms and leaned on the counter. She scrutinized Maiko severely.

"You're very bad at covering your trails," Hotaru said as the animated scissors hopped off Maiko's locks and folded itself by the sink. She smirked when Maiko hung her head, as she had a good idea what her mom was referring to. "Did you purposely army crawl under the fence just to get the previous extensions out?" Hotaru laughed ruefully as the shampoo cape around Maiko's neck untied and threw itself into the corner. "What lengths you go to escape this!"

The little girl furiously shook her head and snippets of hair showered the ground. "Ugh, Mom! You are _so_ annoying! Can't you just leave me alone already? " she said in disgust as she slipped off the cushioned chair and slunk away to her bedroom.

"Call me whatever you'd like," Hotaru called back, not looking up from her cleaning of the hair on the ground. "Oh yes, don't forget that tomorrow is Mikan and Natsume's Christmas party. You must wear that dress I bought you last week!"

"Nooo!" her daughter yelled back. "I'm not going! And I don't want to wear that thing!"

"You have to!"

"I won't!"

"Yes, you will, because I will tie you to a chair and put it on you!"

"Well, then I'd use my Alice to manipulate you and get what I want! To not go to the party at all!"

"If that's the case, then I'd put my Alice-nullifying-ultra-shiny-and- mega-big helmet on you, and I'd change your extensions to platinum blonde and I might as well throw in some doll-like curls!"

There was a loud gasp from the other end of the hall. "You wouldn't!"

"Don't you know your own mother? Of course I would!"

_"Noo!"_

Hoshino kicked open his bedroom door with a bang. "Shuddap, you two!" He glared at Maiko, whose room was next to his. "Give in, _Imouto!_ Sheesh, you can't beat Mom. _Ever."_

Maiko leapt on him like a ravenous wolf and beat him with her fists. "Don't call me Imouto, you pig face!" Hoshino yelled at Hotaru to do something while he fended off a vicious and nearly foaming little sister.

"Hey, stop it now! You need to act refined!" Hotaru scolded, grabbing Maiko by the hood of her baggy sweatshirt and lifting her up with surprising strength. While Maiko flailed and screeched in midair, Hotaru glanced at Hoshino and said calmly, "You should get stronger so you won't get repeatedly beat up by your sister…" Hoshino took this hardly and sat there speechless while Hotaru, with Maiko dangling from her right fist, glided down the hall and a set of steps.

* * *

Maiko was thrown onto the bar stool at the kitchen counter across from Hotaru's seat in front of the stainless steel sink. She glared at her mom from behind her newly trimmed bangs.

"So," her mom said as two cups of steaming maccha and a plate of rice crackers waddled and planted themselves before the two, "this Christmas party is very important to Okaa-san, okay? I want you to appear your best because Natsume and Mikan are two very good friends of mine."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Maiko mumbled with a mouthful of cracker. "You're weird. If they want to see me, they should just see the real me, not the me with.. With a weird dress on!" She shivered and swallowed down some hot tea.

Hotaru hit her daughter's head with a bundle of green bananas.

"Ow! That was mean, Mom!"

Hotaru ignored this and continued on with what she was saying. "I'm not sure if I told you this before, but my friends have a child about the same age as you and Hoshino, so I already made the decision that you would befriend them…"

"What! Mom, why?"

Hotaru smiled strangely and dipped a rice cracker into her tea until it got soft, then popped it into her mouth. "Hmm… just a thought. You'll understand when you meet them."

"Mom, _them? _What are you hiding?"

"Wow, I never thought that rice crackers and maccha went so perfectly together…"

"Hey, answer my freaking question!"

* * *

Snow sprinkled lightly from the gray, gray sky as Luca maneuvered the family car, a black SUV, out of the driveway which was slowly piling up with white fluffy snow, the kind that's perfect for making snowballs.

"Take that, _yaaah!"_

"Owch!" yelled Hoshino, bringing up his left arm in time to block the next round of icy balls. "Hey, that's cheating!" He quickly shoveled some wet snow into his bare, pink hands. "Come back here!"

Maiko dashed off and hid behind one of the pine trees and screamed when Hoshino pursued her, then they exchanged snow hurls and each kid was equally cold and wet, but it was a snowy Christmas, and that was what mattered the most.

Luca slammed the driver's side door of the still-running car. Hotaru appeared beside him from the passenger side. She shivered in a thick pea coat jacket and cream-colored crocheted scarf.

"Ahh, it's nice to be lively and young, isn't it, Hotaru?" Luca sighed, and a puff of steam bloomed around him from his mouth.

Hotaru lightly punched him and hid a grin with one mittened hand. "What, are you getting senile already, ya old man?"

Luca frowned and looked down at his wife. "Hey…" Obviously, the treatment of dominant female to lesser male runs in the family, as illustrated in Maiko's rule over Hoshino…

"Guys, the car's warm already!" Hotaru called. She waved at the kids with both arms.

Hoshino dropped the snow in his hand and picked off the crusted snow on his jacket sleeves. "Coming!" he yelled back. He began to hustle over to their parents.

His lovely sister eyed him evilly and managed to squeeze in another snowball as they were running back.

"Hey!"

"You love me!" Maiko laughed crazily when Hotaru whipped out some bathing towels and rubbed the two kids dry.

"Jeez, you two had a lot of fun, didn't you?"

Maiko and Hoshino laughed and began a poke war between them.

Luca got into the car and waited as Super Mom Hotaru helped the kids into the tall seats. The doors slammed and everyone was in. Some music, chosen by Hotaru, of course, began to play. The car trip to Natsume and Mikan's house began successfully!

While the car merged onto the highway, Hoshino patted the top of Maiko's head. "I forgot to say it, but you look pretty today."

Maiko stared at him. Then she bit his hand.

"Owch." Hoshino only winced. He was used to this kind of treatment.

She smoothed out the dress she was forced to don today of all days… It was a mint green, with plenty of black lace and ribbons, and it would look good on some of the girls she played with at grade school in her first grade class, Apple 3, but it appeared strange on herself... or so she thought. Maiko took off her black beret and breathed a sigh of relief since her head was overheating from the hot air blasting from the vents at the front of the car.

"Hoshino, I'm bored. Do something fun."

"Huh?"

"You need help back there?"

"No, I got it, Mom!"

"Maiko, _yaah,_ why'd you bite me? _Ahhh,_ look at it now, it's bleeding!"

"_Nee, nee, _make some Nintendo DSs and some Pokemon games or something!"

"Fine, geez.."

Hoshino lifted up the finger that balanced a delicate bead of scarlet blood. He then blew on it and out grew some DSs with games already inside them. The objects fell into Hoshino and Maiko's laps. Luca frowned.

"Oh guys, if you always do that, there's no point to Christmas," he complained. Hotaru laughed so hard. Maiko and Hoshino ignored his lengthy explanation of the meaning of exchanging gifts between people, and instead the two kids argued about who was going to catch the most Pokemon…

* * *

The car rolled to a stop at their destination: a decent sized creamy white house with a cute balcony and snow-dusted windows. Hotaru peeked at the kids in the back seat and she smiled at the picture they would make. Hoshino and Maiko were sleeping and using each other's shoulders as pillows. Hotaru smirked and one of her gadgets floated out of her pocket and snapped a quick photo. Luca looked at her questioningly and Hotaru giggled to herself.

"For blackmailing," she said with a devious gleam in her eyes. Luca face-palmed and felt pity for what was to come…

Luca lifted the drowsy kids out of the car into his arms and together the family of four walked up to the house. Hotaru pushed her finger onto the doorbell.

"You!" Mikan screeched when she saw who was standing at her doorstep. She glomped Hotaru and the two women fell to the ground and were covered in snow. Mikan began to cry tears of joy and tears of pain. "Owch, it hurts…" She sniffled and wiped her eyes. "Oh, it has been so long! Are these… your childrens?" Her mouth hung open as she gawked at little Hoshino and Maiko in Luca's embrace. "Waaa, they are so cute, oh.."

Hotaru lightly slapped Mikan's face with both hands. "Can we please, please, come in now? They're sleepy and _we're_ cold." Luca laughed at this and waved at Natsume who hovered awkwardly in the kitchen with a very tall Tono and other old classmates.

Mikan's head bobbed as she let the family into their warm home full of laughter and food and friends. Some classmates yelled as they spotted the couple dusting snow off their shoes and pounced on them with bubbly remarks and large glasses of eggnog and ale and beer…

"So cute!" Sumire squeaked as she pinched Maiko's nose. Maiko looked at her sleepily and yawned widely. Everyone watched and aww'd at the two kids.

Mikan and Natsume tried to peek through the large crowd around Luca and the children. Hotaru helped herself to some piping hot chicken and watched as Luca was helplessly harassed by all the people. Natsume sighed and walked until he stood before a tiny girl and scooped her up into his arms. "Move aside, everyone," he said and the people split apart respectfully. He exchanged a grin with his daughter in his arms. "Say hi, will you?"

A pair of brown eyes stared at Maiko and Hoshino. "Hello," Anzu said shyly, and she buried her face into her dad's chest in embarrassment.

A general sound of "aww" rippled through the crowd, and then it quickly thinned and everyone resumed their previous spots, laughing and chatting loudly and happily.

"Thanks, man," breathed Luca, and he finally set down Maiko and Hoshino. His arms hurt… his kids were heavy now that they had grown so much, and he hadn't worked out in a long, long time, despite being slightly muscular.

"No problem…" his comrade sighed, and he scratched his head as he had woken up earlier than usual to power-clean the house and help out Mikan with the food.

Natsume and Luca stared at one another as if absorbing how much older they looked since they last met. Then they broke into simultaneous laughter.

Anzu was set gently on the ground and Natsume kneeled before her. "Go play with Luca-jiichan's kids, okay?" he whispered. "They look nice, what do you think?"

She smiled in reply, and two dimples appeared on her cherub face. Anzu chirped, "Yep, they look nice. Bye Papa!" And off she dashed off in the direction Maiko and Hoshino went.

Mikan joined Hotaru, who was in the process of devouring a plate loaded up with chicken, bread rolls, and miscellaneous foods. "Having fun?" she laughed as Hotaru shoveled food into her mouth. Her unladylike eating had still not changed since she married the delicate Luca. Hotaru leveled her eyes with Mikan's and she nodded.

"Yes, very much so," she said jauntily, and she tore a roll to pieces with just her teeth.

Christmas was just beginning that day.

* * *

**It's finally done! Well, just this half... ^^; Argh. I'll make sure to type the next half some time... hahahaha.. ^^;;**  
**I like this story line, so I won't abandon it and you guys won't be mad at me.. ToT **  
**Anyhoo, I'd just like to say, if you peoples want some updates on how the story's going and extra important (not really) stuffs, then check out my profile. ^o^ Until next time, my hot char siu baos! X3**


	14. How They Became Friends

**Chapter 14**

**How They Became Friends**

**Author Note: Hey guys, it's been a while! Hahaha. ^^;;; I really like how this came out though. :D It surprised me how into typing it I was. Yeah, and all because my friend at school mentioned that my writing is fluff and angst. I gaped at her and freaked out because she skimmed Memoria and didn't tell me! I was bothered by that fact, so I updated. And, well, angst? Is that really the right word? Hmm... Weird. I guess it describes some parts, but... ^^;; Urgh. Anyhoo, it's great that I updated, I think? Hope you'll like it. It's got some.. uh, action... *A* Yes, and the word blood is mentioned so MANY times. Gah. I tried to fix it so that it didn't seem so bad that it'd be rated M or something. Urgh. Hope you enjoy! I like the moral in the end.**

* * *

Maiko and Hoshino found themselves in the Hyuugas' vast back woods, and were surrounded on all sides by the towering magnificence of knobbed tree branches extended like talons and the cushioned silence of snow. Maiko breathed happily into her numb hands. She felt at ease away from the hustle and bustle of the kitchen and the room stuffed with strange adults partying it up. They could do whatever they liked, Maiko decided. She felt more in place among the white-dusted shrubs and naked, shivering branches because she found their personalities simple, yet intriguing, unlike those whose emotions she could read easily. Inanimate objects made her marvel at how the world worked.

Unfortunately for Hoshino, he had taken off his coat in the house and had left it on the piano bench, something that was considered taboo in the Hyuuga house (especially to Anzu because the piano was practically her baby), but the closet at the front door had been packed with the jackets of the other visitors… Hoshino shifted edgily from foot to foot and furiously rubbed both of his arms while he fitfully fought down spasms of cold.

"Can we PLEASE just go in already!" he whined. Hoshino held his arms above his head when a blustery wind kicked up some powdered snow, as if it was annoyed with him. "Why are we out here anyway?" His cheeks puffed up in anger when Maiko did not turn her gaze to him.

When she finally did, it was as if she held the entire world in her eyes. Maiko smiled exuberantly at him, and though her cheeks were ruddy and raw from the winter's fury, her sudden grin softened the harsh, cutting wind. Hoshino frowned when a bubble of happiness rose up in him as well. He pressed a numb hand to his forehead in an attempt to discern the fact if Maiko was unintentionally toying with his emotions again. Ahh, that girl. Her Alice was so unstable and spontaneous. It really made the victim feel helpless when they were experiencing emotions that were not theirs.

_Crunch, crunch. _Footsteps approached behind them, and when they turned, they could barely make out a small, but somewhat pudgy silhouette from the gusty curtain of snow. It was a child, and she donned a Christmas-y scarlet colored cloak trimmed with white fur. Maiko recognized her as Anzu, the girl that her dad's friend had introduced to the two of them earlier. Maiko frowned and crossed her arms. Why had Anzu come?

She stumbled through the snow and stopped a meter or so away. Anzu was really small, Maiko thought to herself with motherly disapproval. She'd catch a cold out here.

"HELLO!" Anzu yelled to them, and she waved a mittened hand. Maiko winced. Woah, she's loud.

The little girl paused and allowed a small amount of snow to pile up in her open hand. White flecks peppered her cropped black hair. A grin then broke out on her face, and that was when Maiko decided she might be worth talking to.

The three of them began to walk to the forest. Three sets of small footprints were imprinted into the soft snow. Hoshino was wearing Anzu's coat because the little girl insisted she was never cold, and well, she felt kind of bad for the guy. Of course, he got a lot of gibes from Maiko that he looked girlish. Put on a skirt, she laughed maniacally. Hoshino growled at her and they tousled in the snow while Anzu giggled uncontrollably in that high-pitched laugh of hers.

Eventually the Nogi kids got Anzu to join their snow battle, and soon they were screaming and hiding behind messily made igloos and aiming snow balls at each other. Most of the time they missed, and it was hilarious when one of them actually hit the target and the victim's face was shell-shocked from the cold and impact.

Maiko flopped onto her back in the snow and began to make a snow angel. Her hose was so wet, and it had been quite some time since she couldn't feel her legs. She didn't even care what Hotaru would say when they arrived at the house sopping wet. She watched as snowflakes drifted towards her and blinked the snow from her eye lashes. Maiko barely noticed when Hoshino and Anzu joined her snow angel making.

"_Brr," _Anzu laughed. A mushroom cloud of warm breath steamed around her. Her arms and face did look a little pink. Maybe it was time to go back, Maiko thought with disappointment. She preferred this freezing, silent landscape to the warm house full of food.

Maiko sat up, and she imagined herself as the leader of this three-man party. She did feel a little responsible for dragging all of them out here when they could've been resting and stuffing themselves with food inside. "Let's go in-" she began to say, but the words trailed out of her mouth as she turned around and Anzu was gone. Hoshino was whipping his head back and forth in search for her and his eyes met with Maiko's. Just where did that girl go?

They spotted her further into the forest, crouched close to the snow. Her lips, blue from the cold, were moving as if speaking, and her hand was half-closed in an offering gesture. Maiko probed the area and her mind felt a slow rippling wave of paranoia and edginess. She opened her eyes. Was Anzu talking to an animal?

Maiko signaled to Hoshino and they walked slowly and cautiously towards Anzu. At first they saw some splatters of blood. Then a bushy tail. And finally a fur-covered canine face whose lips pulled back to reveal ivory colored teeth, the sharpest that Maiko had ever seen in her short span of five years. They were seeing an injured wolf!

There were straight, concise slashes down its side. It hadn't been long since it was hurt, as the ruby blood still dripped hot and sticky. Anzu glanced at Maiko and Hoshino, her eyes flashing with helplessness. What could they do?

The wolf uttered a guttural, low growl. Its muzzle was a maze of violent wrinkles, and its hackles rose. Maiko began backing away and tried pushing peaceful thoughts to soothe the savage animal. Apparently it didn't work, because the wolf started to thrash wildly and it began to howl.

"Anzu, run away!" Maiko shrieked, and hurriedly she ran towards the girl and abruptly grabbed her hand. Anzu grasped her hand uncertainly; she didn't want to leave the wolf. Beside them Hoshino was panting with fear. As long as they ran back quickly to the house, it would be alright, Maiko thought in a whirled panic as she moved her feet heavily through the snow.

She narrowed her eyes and tried to see the house up ahead. It looked terribly small. Had they really traveled that far?

Maiko's heart beat drummed deafeningly in her ears. Even running as fast as they could, the house wasn't getting any closer. It didn't even look like they were moving much distance. As their feet got heavier and heavier and their strength drained, their chests hurt when they breathed in the icy air that stabbed like daggers.

Maiko felt a hard tug on her arm. Anzu had stopped, but wasn't panting. "Let me go back," she said with hard resolution in her voice. She began to fight Maiko's grasp on her hand.

Maiko looked at her in wide-eyed disbelief. "Are you crazy? No way I'm letting you." And she pushed a wave of desire for safety towards Anzu. The girl's eyes became dull for a moment as she allowed herself to be swayed, but then she shook her head and slapped away Maiko's hand.

"Stop that!" Anzu snapped angrily. "That's a dirty trick." And she began to run back in the direction of the forest. A series of howls reverberated from the forest, and the birds perching on the branches of the tall trees fled with flapping wings in sheer terror.

Maiko screamed in frustration and yelled for Hoshino. He was a coward, but he would not abandon another person. Together they ran as best as they could, though they were dipping occasionally from exhaustion. Hoshino raised his voice. "Anzu! It's dangerous! You could die!" She was far ahead of them. God, was she fast, even with those tiny legs. She was nearing the edge of the forest.

"Anzu!" Maiko hurled her name with difficulty across the vast distance. It was painful; the frosty wind had cracked their lips and their faces were getting wind burnt. We should never go outside again, ever! Maiko thought angrily. Hoshino nodded in agreement.

Many howls joined the lone wolf's cries of distress. At once, about six or seven lanky wolves lunged from the dark recesses of the forest towards Anzu. With their teeth pulled back and steaming saliva dripping from their stinking mouths, it was a terrible sight from hell. Maiko screamed as a wolf pounced onto the girl. A overpowering wave of nausea and agony swept over her, and she tripped into the snow. Maiko's face met with the icy realization that Anzu would die, and it was all her fault because she didn't have enough strength to pick herself up and face the wolves. Maiko could just imagine Anzu's frail body broken like a doll, and the snow around her melted from her body heat. Maiko began to dry heave from sickness. She had barely enough strength to send feelings of distress to her parents at the house. God, they were so far! Would they feel it? She collapsed into the snow, and tears filled her eyes. A sob rose in her chest.

Hoshino had pulled ahead in a desperate stride to save Anzu. He threw all his weight against a wolf, but his back was grazed from the canine's outstretched jaws. Blood spurted from his back, but Hoshino thought this was fortunate since Anzu was not too badly hurt. He swiped his hand across his back and caught the blood. There was a lot of it, and his injury hurt like hell, but this would suffice. Hoshino manipulated the blood in his hand, and it rapidly formed two shining swords. He tossed one to Anzu and she caught it with fear in her eyes.

"Only choice is to fight!" Hoshino yelled as he chopped the sword down on the back of a wolf. The creature yelped, and blood dribbled down its side. "These are magic swords, and they'll do most of the work."

Anzu shook her head and cried. "I don't want to-" A wolf lunged at her savagely, and the sword in her hand came to life and dug itself into its chest. The wolf cried out in anguish and crumpled to the ground. Anzu stared in horror as the sword pulled itself out and flew back to her hand.

Maiko's hands clenched and unclenched repeatedly in the snow. She was panting heavily. She knew that Hoshino and Anzu were fighting the wolves, because she could feel the wolves' screams of burning agony as they writhed on the ground in flames of pain. She knew Anzu's panic and fear and refusal to fight. She knew the fear behind Hoshino's strong appearance, that he didn't want to startle Anzu further, so he kept fighting so that they could live. And she could feel the presence of other people quickly approaching…

* * *

A white room swam into her vision, and she cried out from a hot wave of pain in her shoulder. A pair of cold hands were resting on her back.

"She's dislocated her shoulder, but she should make a quick recovery," the nurse said. Hotaru stood at Maiko's bedside with a furrowed brow. Maiko broke out in a sweat when she saw how disappointed and concerned her mom was. Then her mind began to swim. How were Hoshino and Anzu? Were they okay? Were they alive?

The nurse checked a few things on her clipboard and smiled professionally at Maiko and Hotaru, then bowed and left the room, with the words, "Someone will be visiting shortly. The doctor will come later to put your shoulder back in place." She lingered by the doorway and gave a strange look at Maiko, clearly thinking she was an odd child. Her curiosity burned away as she disappeared from sight.

She's not reassuring at all, Maiko sniffed in annoyance.

The room was quiet. A clock made soft noises in the corner. Hotaru kneaded her face with one hand. She had bags under her eyes.

She didn't say anything. Surprisingly, she glanced up and smiled a small smile. The words she said next were even more surprising.

"You're a lot more like me than you think."

Maiko returned her mother's gaze in moderate confusion. "What…?"

Hotaru slipped out of the room without saying anything else.

Thanks a_ lot_, Kaa-san. I just _love_ how you don't talk.

* * *

Moments later, Luca walked into the room with a parcel wrapped with gift paper. He blushed as he placed it tentatively in Maiko's lap.

"Here ya go, kid," he said with a sheepish grin. "A sort of get well present? And a late Christmas as well." Luca beamed as Maiko's eyes lit up with greed and she tore viciously at the paper. In her hands was a sleek iPad. The newest version! And it was enormous for her five-year-old hands.

"Wow, thanks, Tou-san," Maiko said in awe. She turned it over gently in her hands and stroked the smooth touch screen surface. Her brow furrowed at her dad. "But how do I use it?"

Luca chuckled, and they played with it for hours until it was dinner time and nurses were insisting Luca leave so that they could feed Maiko. She curled up with her new iPad that night. But she slept happily with the thought that her parents truly did care for her, in their strange ways.

* * *

After endless amounts of constant ice packs on her shoulder, braces and therapy, Maiko could move it! She had to be gentle though, because once the shoulder dislocated, it was easy to dislocate it again. Supposedly.

She found Hoshino to be in good condition. He suffered several broken bones and had a few scars, but was otherwise well. Hoshino grinned and patted Maiko's head.

"I'm a good Nii-san, aren't I?"

Maiko bared her teeth as if to bite him, then smiled from ear to ear.

"Sometimes."

It turned out that none of the wolves had died at all, but Hoshino and Anzu had only injured them. It was a relief to wild animal control, who didn't want to resort to euthanasia to put the animals out of their misery. Many of them, however, had to be put in the hospital because of their critical condition. Maiko shivered uneasily, though she didn't fight the brutes.

Maiko decided to make a visit to Anzu after a light breakfast of toast and jam. Hoshino told her that Anzu was still bedridden, but would be able to get out of bed in a week or so. She had suffered many injuries because she had refused to wield the sword properly, though the sword still did its job without hindrance. Anzu could have spared some broken ribs if she had been quick on her feet… but she just had to be like that…

She went by herself and peeked around the corner of the open door. Maiko's eyes first landed on the open curtained windows, then the slowly dripping IVs at Anzu's bedside.

Anzu was wrapped in many bandages and was not permitted to move or she would damage her blood vessels and organs since her ribs were broken. Maiko felt nervous when speaking to her. She felt responsible for the whole ordeal.

They didn't speak, because they understood each other. Small talk was somewhat difficult and awkwardly strangled. So they watched the TV together in silence.

Maiko kneaded her hands in her lap, and bit her lip. _I don't know what to say,_ she finally admitted to herself. _I feel her pain, but…_ Maiko drowned in sorrow. _I'm hopeless._

Anzu was hand fed her breakfast by her mom, since her mom didn't trust her to not go jumping out of bed. After Mikan smiled at Maiko and left the room, Anzu was the first to speak.

"Thanks for protecting me," she said with a tinkling laugh.

"But it was all Hoshino," Maiko replied, and she lowered her gaze to her lap, feeling truly useless and pathetic.

Anzu pouted thoughtfully. "True, but you called for help." Her eyes shone. "If you didn't, we'd all be dead."

_Dead._ The word echoed ominously in Maiko's mind, and it served as a powerful reminder. It was the consequence of abandoning your friends, whether they were newly found or old time buddies.

It was then that she silently pledged her life to Anzu.

"But why did you go back?" she whispered. "You should have died."

Anzu paused with words at her lips.

"I don't know," she said softly. Anzu smiled a small, wistful smile. "I love animals. They don't deserve to die. Whoever did that was a bad, bad man who was selfish. He probably didn't care if the wolf froze to death."

Tears sprung to the corners of her eyes. "And I'm sorry about what I said. I didn't mean it. I was just really angry." A few drops landed on the bed sheets. "About your Alice."

Maiko kept her eyes on the television screen in astonishment. She hadn't thought twice about that. People had often scorned her for her powers, saying that the power to manipulate was sinister, evil. She and Hotaru had been the only ones to apologize for what they said about it. This affectionate apology touched her deeply. Her eyes began to water helplessly.

"Are you a saint?" she asked softly, while keeping her eyes on the comedy program.

Anzu laughed. Maiko would remember that lighthearted laugh for years.

"It'd be cool if I was, huh?"

* * *

When Anzu was released from the hospital, Hoshino handed her a present. It was wrapped in blue velvet cloth and felt very light.

"Merry Christmas," he said, but then laughed. It was already late January. He and Maiko watched as Anzu unwrapped it with curiosity. Maiko too, was burning with questions, since she hadn't seen it yet.

Nestled in the soft fabric was a mahogany bow studded with jewels. Anzu stroked it with a gentle finger, and traced the contours of the wood, then the waxy string that hung loose. There were tiny knobs on the side to make the string taut and ready to use.

"It's lovely," she said in awe. Her cheeks were flushed in embarrassment and she hugged Hoshino. "Thank you."

Hoshino smirked and gave a thumbs up. "It's to protect yourself," he said, and made the motion of notching an arrow to the bow and releasing it. "Since you can't do it very well." Anzu blushed again and laughed nervously.

Maiko scoffed. _"Gee,_ smart one, where are the arrows?"

Hoshino frowned, then cursed. "Agh!" He searched for a pin to prick himself with. Anzu laughed with tears in her eyes.

"I love you guys!"

* * *

**Another Annoying Author Note: **So! Since it is Thanksgiving vacation (yay), I might be typing up stuff. And this is ACTUAL PLOT LINE? Woot, rejoice! I haven't got an idea though. Hahahaha... ^^;;; I have ideas for when they're older. But right now I'm kinda stuck. Ah, but I have days full of nothing to think about it, so whoopee! ^^ And nowadays I'm kinda busy (I do not joke)! I want to work on dancing and singing, cuz it's kinda what I want to do in the future? *covers face in embarrassment* Yes. AND. I have always noticed this, but why are there more anonymous reviews than signed users? I'm not bothered by this fact. It's just easier to talk to you if you're signed in! I can answer questions and stuff... since I can't do a huge FAQs page and whatnot. Hmm...Oh well. Have a happy Thanksgiving! Don't eat too much food! Or you'll have a food coma! DX


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